tibvaxy  of  Che  Cheoiocjical  £min<xvy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


HicW;riS  of   Horace  Wil^ 
A  memorial 


Rose 


Iborace  William  IRose 


0i  of  rmceb 

OCT  201958 


■/ 


m 
•fcarr?  Wa6e  Dtcfts 


HEW  TORE 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  COMMITTEE  OP 

YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 

1904 


Copyright,  1904, 

Bv 

The  International  Committee  of 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 


Stanbope  press 

F.    H.    GILSON    COMPAN' 
BOSTON,     U.  S.  A. 


ZTo  Ibis  flDotber 


preface 

Three  years  and  more  have  passed  since  the 
subject  of  this  brief  memorial  was  called  from 
service  by  death.  While  his  work  was  done  before 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  the  record 
contains  the  story  of  a  finished  life.  Only  the 
repeated  requests  of  friends  in  and  out  of  college, 
and  within  Association  circles,  that  a  story  of  his 
life  be  written,  has  led  the  author  finally  to  prepare 
what  is  here  given  to  the  public. 

Not  all  students  choose  the  best  in  college. 
Some  choose  for  themselves  habits  of  life  which 
forever  after  are  like  millstones  about  their  necks. 
This  simple  narrative  tells  of  one  who  chose  wisely 
and  redeemed  the  time. 

Encouragement  can  be  taken  in  reading  this 
book  because  Horace  W.  Rose  was  an  ordinary 
man.  In  one  point  only  did  he  greatly  excel  other 
men,  and  that  was  his  devotion  to  Jesus  Christ.  If 
any  reader  is  led  to  wage  a  stronger  fight  against 
sin,  or  give  himself  with  greater  abandonment  to 
Christian  service,  the  mission  of  the  book  will  be 
fulfilled. 

Acknowledgment  is  here  made  for  kind  aid  ren- 
dered by  many  who  have  furnished  material  for  the 
memorial. 

H.  W.  H. 

Boston,  June  10,  1904. 


Bntro&uction 


"  It  is  a  glorious  thing,"  said  Disraeli,  "to  see  a 
nation  saved  by  its  youth."  As  go  the  colleges,  so 
goes  the  nation.  In  seeking  to  purify  and  enrich 
the  student  communities,  therefore,  one  is  influen- 
cing the  very  springs  of  the  national  life.  For  over 
ten  years,  either  as  student  or  as  worker  among 
students,  chiefly  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  Valley, 
that  region  where  our  higher  educational  institu- 
tions are  most  plastic,  and  also  expanding  most 
rapidly,  Horace  William  Rose  lived  out  a  life  and 
wrought  a  work  which  will  never  die.  No  patriot, 
statesman,  teacher,  preacher  or  philanthropist  in  all 
that  section  has  more  truly  advanced  the  best  life  of 
the  country  and  the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 

This  man  afforded  and  made  attractive  an  ex- 
ample of  the  highest  type  of  Christian  student  life. 
He  furnished  the  students  of  our  day  a  working 
model  in  character,  in  faith,  and  in  service.  He 
was  a  man  of  reality  ;  intolerant  of  all  pretence  and 
hypocrisy.  While  ever  preserving  an  open  mind  to 
all  truth  and  maintaining  the  power  of  growth,  he 
was  firmly  established  in  the  fundamental  points  of 
the  Christian   faith.     In  the  midst  of   college  life, 


flntrofcuction 

which  is  more  characterized  by  selfishness,  clannish- 
ness  and  class  spirit  than  is  usually  supposed,  he 
abounded  with  unselfish  love  and  kept  in  sympa- 
thetic and  helpful  touch  with  all  kinds  of  students, 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  brilliant  and  the  dull, 
the  popular  and  the  unpopular.  His  cheerfulness 
and  optimism  were  the  strength  of  his  life.  His 
physical  and  moral  courage  were  splendid,  ena- 
bling him  to  wage  triumphant  warfare  against  every 
enemy  of  college  life.  His  zeal  to  have  Christ's 
reign  made  co-extensive  with  the  whole  world  was 
consuming.  His  steadfast  loyalty  to  Christ  and  his 
absorbing  passion  to  make  Him  known,  constituted 
the  crown  of  his  life. 

It  is  a  distinguishing  merit  of  this  Memorial  that 
the  author  has  so  presented  these  traits  that  they 
seem  compelling  and  capable  of  imitation.  In  thus 
making  the  subject  of  the  book  actually  live  before 
us,  and  in  stimulating  the  will  to  emulate  his  life 
and  works,  the  best  offices  of  true  biography  are 
served.  One  cannot  resist  the  conclusion  that,  if 
the  spirit  which  characterizes  Horace  Rose  became 
more  general  among  the  Christian  students  of  our 
day,  the  moral  and  religious  life  of  the  colleges  and 
universities  would  be  transformed. 

It  is  well  that  this  Memorial  appears  after  suffi- 
cient time  has  elapsed  to  admit  of  assembling  so 
much  valuable  material.  Moreover,  it  affords  op- 
portunity to  see  the  life  of  Rose  in  better  perspec- 


flntrofcuction 

tive  and  to  estimate  more  accurately  his  influence. 
It  also  introduces  to  a  new  generation  of  students 
a  life  which  has  its  message  for  every  Christian  col- 
lege man  in  these  days.  Just  as  Sinker's  "  Memo- 
rials of  Ion  Keith-Falconer "  greatly  influenced 
students  three  or  four  student  generations  ago,  and 
Speer's  "  Record  of  the  Life  of  Hugh  Beaver  "  ren- 
dered a  similar  service  a  few  years  since,  Mr. 
Hicks'  work,  which  has  been  done  with  marked  dis- 
cernment, fidelity  and  sympathy,  will  come  with 
helpful  force  to  the  present  generation  of  students 
of  this  and  other  lands. 

The  consideration  of  such  a  career  may  well  lead 
us  to  reappraise  life  values.  Wherein  lies  the  cause 
of  the  true  success  of  the  life  of  Horace  Rose? 
Not  in  the  length  of  life,  for  his  career  was  termi- 
nated when  he  was  considerably  less  than  thirty 
years  of  age.  Not  in  his  activity  and  intensity,  al- 
though he  was  remarkable  in  both  of  these  respects. 
Not  in  his  fame,  for  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
world  he  was  comparatively  little  known.  In  his 
full-orbed,  symmetrical  character,  in  his  Christ-like 
service  of  his  fellows,  in  his  absolute  abandon  to 
know  and  to  do  the  will  of  God,  we  find  the  source  of 
his  enduring  and  fruitful  influence.  The  sentence 
which  best  epitomizes  his  ambition  and  life-work  is 
the.  longing  he  himself  voiced,  and  which  he  most 
certainly  realized,  "Oh,  for  the  power  to  burn  a 
path  of  light  in  these  colleges  for  Christ !  " 

John  R.  Mott. 


Contents 

CHAPTER   I 
Early  Life 9 

CHAPTER   II 
At  Beloit 17 

CHAPTER   III 
At  Iowa  and  Michigan  State  Universities       35 

CHAPTER   IV 
A  Fall  Term  among  the  Colleges  of  the       53 
West 

CHAPTER   V 
Winter  and   Spring  among  the  Colleges 
of  the  West ,       70 

CHAPTER   VI 
At  Cornell 85 

CHAPTER   VII 

Cornell  Memorial  Service 100 

CHAPTER   VIII 

Geneva  Memorial  Service 116 

CHAPTER   IX 

Other  Tributes 128 

APPENDIX 143 

7 


H  flDemorial  to 

Iborace  William  IRose 


I 


CHAPTER  I 

EARLY    LIFE 

"T  rarely  happens  that  a  young  man  less  than 
twenty-seven  years  of  age  exerts  a  positive  re- 
ligious influence  on  an  entire  generation  of 
college  students  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Pilkinton  of  Uganda  died  before  his  life- 
work  was  actually  begun,  but  his  written  biography 
has  stirred  the  spiritual  life  of  multitudes.  Other 
foreign  missionaries  have  spent  their  life  force  be- 
fore the  age  of  thirty-five,  and  have  merited  the 
"  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant."  The  sub- 
ject of  this  brief  life  story  finished  his  work  before 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  and  left  an 
indelible  impression  on  the  lives  of  thousands  of 
college  men  whom  he  met,  and  multitudes  of  others 
through  his  indirect  influence. 

Horace  William  Rose  was  born   September  19, 
1874,  in  Rockford,  Illinois.     The  years  of  his  child- 
hood and  early  young  manhood  were  spent  in  the 
9 


Hn  /B>emorfam 

home  at  the  two  towns  of  Rockford  and  Pittsfield  in 
Illinois,  until,  in  1887,  the  family  moved  to  Fort  At- 
kinson, Wisconsin.  From  this  place  of  residence 
Horace  entered  college.  He  died  of  typhoid  fever  in 
the  city  hospital  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged as  General  Secretary  of  the  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  Cornell  University,  on  January  10,  1901,  aged 
twenty-six  years,  three  months,  and  twenty-two  days. 
His  father  was  William  Wilberforce  Rose,  a  Con- 
gregational clergyman  of  unusual  power,  and  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  churches  in  the  towns  where 
the  family  resided.  The  father  was  mourned  at 
the  time  of  his  death  by  a  multitude  of  friends  to 
whom  he  had  ministered  throughout  several  long 
pastorates.  His  mother,  who  still  survives  although 
in  broken  health,  entered  no  less  into  the  affections 
of  the  people  to  whom  the  father  ministered.  The 
graces  and  virtues  of  both  parents  seem  to  have 
been  inherited  by  Horace,  and  it  was  due  to  their 
devotion  and  training  that  he  became  early  in  life  a 
most  efficient  worker  in  the  church  and  a  leader 
inspired  with  lofty  Christian  principles. 

There  were  four  boys  in  the  family,  —  Horace, 
Frank,  Richard,  and  Sidney.  During  his  early 
years  there  was  strong  manifestation  of  the  traits  of 
character  which  marked  his  service  of  later  years. 
His  mother  in  writing  since  his  death  said : — 

He  was  often  referred  to  as  "  the  minister,"  not  altogether 
on  account  of  his  serious  demeanor,  for  he  was  bubbling  over 
10 


)6ari£  %itc 

with  fun,  but  more  because  he  was  always  ready  to  turn  his 
thoughts  to  serious  subjects,  and  because  of  his  extremely 
conscientious  adherence  to  duty.  I  have  always  said  that 
Horace  preached  his  first  sermon  when  he  was  three  years 
old  during  a  lively  agitation  on  the  temperance  question  in 
the  community.  Standing  upon  a  chair  with  book  in  hand 
he  proclaimed  to  an  imaginary  audience,  "  Don't  'e  dink  any 
more  fisky ;  it  dunks  you ;  it  burns  you  so  you  can't  see ;  it 
deads  you.     Don't  'e  do  it,  for  Christ's  sake." 

A  companion  of  his  childhood  days  who  lived  in 
a  neighboring  house  from  1874  to  1884  tells  how 
they  marvelled  that  Horace  never  forgot  to  say  "  if 
you  please,"  "thank  you,"  and  such  things  as  the 
rest  usually  omitted  to  say.  "  He  was  always 
scrupulously  polite.  My  brother  used  to  persuade 
the  four  Rose  boys  to  help  him  fill  the  woodbox. 
Horace  always  stopped  at  the  door,  and,  no  mat- 
ter how  full  his  arms  were  of  wood,  managed  in 
some  way  to  get  his  hat  off  before  he  entered. 
He  was  fond  of  music,  and  seemed  to  revel  in  the 
neighborhood  concerts.  The  song  he  used  to 
sing  with  greatest  enthusiasm  was  '  Roll,  Jordan, 
Roll.'  " 

Another  intimate  friend  writes  regarding  the  spirit 
of  his  early  life  :  — 

He  was  so  full  of  buoyant  life  and  fun  that  his  mates 
were  glad  to  follow  whether  it  were  to  a  prayer-meeting  or  a 
ball  game.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  visit  his  home.  His  father  was  a  boy  with  his 
sons,  and  merry  were  the  days  with  picnics  and  boat-rides. 
II 


In  flDemorfam 

Once  when  eating  radishes  Horace  remarked,  "  When  you 
eat  radishes  you  go  to  the  root  of  the  matter."  One  day  a 
party  of  us  were  out  in  the  boat,  when  Sidney  and  Horace 
began  rocking.  I  was  timid,  and  their  father,  seeing  my  fear, 
assured  me  they  would  take  no  risk.  But  as  I  still  seemed 
nervous  he  spoke  a  low  word  to  the  boys.  Instantly  the  boat 
was  quiet,  and  Horace  earnestly  begged  my  pardon,  and  ex- 
pressed regret  that  they  had  caused  me  a  moment  of  discom- 
fort. 

On  another  occasion,  in  the  evening,  he  came  home  after 
I  had  retired.  I  heard  him  stop  at  his  mother's  door  and 
talk  in  excited  whispers.  It  alarmed  me  somewhat,  for  fear 
that  an  accident  had  occurred  on  the  water.  When  I  inquired 
next  morning,  Mrs.  Rose  said,  "  Oh,  no  I  not  any  difficulty.  It 
is  Horace's  custom  to  stop  at  my  door  and  confide  in  me  the 
events  of  the  evening,  and  he  spoke  last  night  in  whispers  for 
fear  of  disturbing  you. 

A  lifelong  friend  who  knew  Horace  well  when  he 
was  thirteen  years  old  has  written  of  his  manly  char- 
acter manifesting  itself  in  a  full  and  enthusiastic 
life  interested  in  all  boyish  sports.  "  He  was  one 
of  those  boys  who  was  ever  ready  to  do  boyish 
things,  but  never  mean  tricks  of  any  kind.  He 
seemed  to  have  an  inborn  spirit  of  manliness  which 
made  him  above  these  things.  At  an  early  period 
in  life  he  became  an  active  Christian  worker  in 
departments  of  church  life  where  he  could  be  help- 
ful, and  his  enthusiasm  was  contagious." 

Horace's  love  for  his  home  was  a  safeguard 
against  the  evils  of  boyhood  and  early  young  man- 
hood to  which  many  succumb.  He  had  great  rev- 
12 


Earl)?  %itc 

erence  for  his  father,  and  the  breach  which  so  often 
exists  between  father  and  son  did  not  exist  between 
them.  The  nobility  of  his  father's  life  and  service 
undoubtedly  influenced  Horace  greatly  to  undertake 
direct  Christian  work. 

His  affection  for  his  mother  was  manifested  from 
earliest  years,  and  continued  to  mark  him  as  an  un- 
usual son  until  the  time  of  his  death.  The  spirit  of 
fun  in  the  home  is  shown  by  a  story  told  by  W.  B. 
Van  Akin,  a  Beloit  classmate  :  — 

I  knew  every  member  of  his  family,  and  spent  very  many 
days  visiting  with  them.  There  was  a  personal  freedom  in 
the  family  relationship  which  to  me  bordered  on  the  ludi- 
crous. The  boys  all  called  their  father  "  Elder,"  and  their 
mother  they  all  called  "  Lizzie,"  and  they  had  many  differ- 
ent epithets  for  the  different  members  of  the  family.  One 
morning  they  were  all  gathered  together  at  family  worship. 
Mrs.  Rose  had  been  troubled  for  some  time  with  an  illness 
which  made  stooping  and  rising  difficult.  After  Mr.  Rose 
had  finished  offering  prayer,  two  of  the  boys  took  hold  of 
their  mother,  one  on  each  side,  and  shouted,  "  We'll  lift  the 
band-wagon  up  1 "  and  lifted  their  mother  to  her  feet. 

Another  friend  of  his  early  childhood  says, — 
"  To  show  the  loyalty  of  his  nature,  he  never  out- 
grew his  yearning  to  visit  '  the  old  home  ; '  and  when 
one  of  his  chums  started  for  Europe,  he  said,  t  I 
would  rather  go  to  Pittsfield  than  to  Europe.' " 

His  respectful  love  for  his  father  and  his  tender 
chivalry  toward  his  mother  were  among  the  most 
beautiful  traits  of  his  character.     In  a  letter  written 

!3 


•ffn  flDemoriam 

after  the  death  of  his  father,  he  said,  "  Mother  is  the 
truest,  bravest  woman  who  ever  cared  for  sons." 

The  testimony  of  his  brothers  to  his  influence  on 
them  is  marked  by  tender  affection,  showing  that 
Horace  was  a  counsellor  to  them  as  he  was  to  hun- 
dreds of  other  young  men  during  the  last  five  or  six 
years  of  his  life.  Richard  wrote  two  years  after 
Horace's  death,  from  Carleton  College,  describing 
this  relationship :  — 

Horace  was  a  great  lover  of  his  home.  He  spent  much 
of  his  time  there.  It  was  a  delight  to  him,  after  a  swim  with 
the  boys  in  the  summer  time  or  a  coast  in  the  winter  time,  to 
get  back  to  the  place  where  his  dear  ones  were.  His  even- 
ings were  largely  spent  in  the  home  circle.  The  devotion  to 
his  mother,  so  strong  in  later  years,  was  strongly  marked  at 
this  time.  He  was  obedient  and  respectful  to  her,  and  was 
glad  to  be  where  she  was.  He  had  great  admiration  for  his 
father,  and  trusted  his  judgment  unreservedly  in  all  things. 
Horace  endeavored  to  do  that  which  would  gain  the  approval 
of  his  father,  and  was  very  happy  when  this  was  accomplished. 

He  was  a  great  boy  for  fun.  He  joined  in  all  the  sports, 
and  soon  became  a  leader  in  them.  It  is  in  this  relation  that 
his  brothers  best  knew  him.  If  it  was  in  football,  he  was  in 
the  midst  of  the  scrimmage ;  if  in  baseball,  he  was  behind 
the  bat.  The  intensity  of  his  later  life  was  developed  from 
the  intensity  with  which  he  entered  into  things  when  a  boy. 
He  enjoyed  most  thoroughly  the  game  of  marbles,  but  would 
never  "  hunch  "  to  win  a  game.  His  love  for  fairness  was 
such  that  his  fellows  came  to  him  as  arbiter  of  disputes. 
The  boys  liked  to  hear  Holly's  merry,  loud  laugh,  and  wanted 
him  on  their  side  in  the  different  contests.  He  had  a  great  de- 
sire for  winning,  and  would  strive  the  utmost  to  win,  but  never 
14 


Earls  Xifc 

did  so  unless  fairly.   He  was  helpful  and  loving  to  his  brothers, 
and  entered  heartily  into  their  joys  and  disappointments. 

A  quotation  from  a  memorial  work  to  his  father 
is  appropriate  to  Horace,  illustrating  the  purity  of 
his  childhood  life. 

He  was  especially  beloved  by  the  children.  He  had  no 
airs,  no  pretensions,  and  was  genuinely  the  friend  of  every- 
body. He  was  sincere,  kind,  and  had  the  spirit  of  a  child. 
He  could  carry  no  grudge.  He  was  gentle  and  chivalrous  to 
all  women.  Mothers  felt  that  he  was  ever  a  safe  and  trusty 
companion  for  their  children,  and  one  to  be  relied  upon. 

Those  who  knew  Horace  will  recognize  in  this 
early  characteristic  a  virtue  which  in  his  last  years 
controlled  his  whole  being.  Those  who  heard  him 
speak  and  mingled  with  him  in  the  sports  of  sum- 
mer conferences  and  in  the  serious  discussions  of 
religious  meetings  were  thrilled  by  it. 

During  the  opening  years  of  his  young  manhood 
he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  B  in  the  first 
regiment  of  Wisconsin  National  Guard,  commonly 
called  "  The  Hoard  Rifles."  In  this  company  he 
served  five  years.  As  a  soldier  he  was  conscien- 
tious in  his  duties.  Many  who  served  with  him  and 
who  knew  his  connection  with  this  regiment  speak 
of  the  remarkable  influence  he  exerted  among  the 
soldiers  of  his  company,  especially  in  purifying  the 
conversation  of  camp  life  and  in  organizing  the  men 
to  do  religious  work.  "  He  was  all  things  to  all 
J5 


fn  flDemoriam 

men,"  said  a  lifelong  companion  and  friend.  "  He 
joined  the  Fort  Atkinson  Guards  that  he  might  go 
with  them  to  Camp  Douglas  on  their  annual  outing 
and  drill.  Several  boys  who  were  members  of  that 
regiment  have  told  me  how  they  were  led  to  take  up 
a  different  way  of  living  because  of  the  influence  of 
his  quiet  hour  of  meditation  and  Bible  study,  and  his 
talks  with  them  about  Christ,  accompanied  by  his 
hearty  entry  into  all  the  fun  and  sport  of  the  camp." 


16 


Ht  Beioit 

CHAPTER   II 

AT    BELOIT 

IN  the  year  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
Horace  left  home  to  enter  upon  his  academy 
and  college  life.  The  natural  Christian  train- 
ing which  he  had  received  had  fitted  him  well  for  the 
environment  in  which  he  found  himself  at  the  begin- 
ning of  his  academy  course  at  Beloit.  Not  many 
weeks  passed  before  his  ability  as  a  leader  was 
recognized  by  his  classmates.  There  are  practically 
no  records  of  his  life  at  the  academy  as  far  as  his 
scholarship  is  concerned.  But  the  letters  gathered 
from  his  college  classmates  throw  some  light  upon 
his  religious  experience  during  the  first  year  of  his 
academy  training.  A  member  of  the  class  of  '96 
at  Beloit  speaks  at  length  of  his  zeal  in  Christian 
Endeavor  work  in  the  Congregational  Church  with 
which  he  connected  himself  as  a  member  shortly 
after  the  beginning  of  his  residence  at  Beloit :  — 

He  was  the  first  man  to  get  me  deeply  interested  in  the 
Christian  Endeavor  work.  Suzetta  Rosenblatt,  who  after- 
wards became  Mrs.  Horace  Rose,  was  very  much  interested 
in  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Social  Committee.  Rose  and  I  went  together  to  one  of 
the  fall  socials.  A  feature  of  the  evening's  entertainment  was 
to  work  out  a  life  motto  from  the  letters  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.,  and 
the  prize  offered  for  the  best  motto  was  a  big  pumpkin  pie. 

17 


Hn  flDemortam 

I  became  very  much  interested  in  the  pumpkin  pie,  and  con- 
sequently worked  hard  on  the  motto  and  won  the  prize. 
Rose,  Miss  Rosenblatt,  and  I  enjoyed  the  pie  together,  and 
I  have  often  thought  that  my  real  interest  in  Christian  work 
dated  from  that  time.  I  think  I  can  honestly  say  that  I  owe 
more  to  Rose's  influence  over  me  than  I  do  to  any  other  per- 
son living,  outside  of  my  mother,  for  we  used  to  talk  over 
together  all  the  problems  in  our  individual  lives,  and  I  never 
failed  to  receive  much  help  from  him.  The  motto  worked 
out  was,  "  Your  Prayers  Should  Consecrate  Everything." 

In  the  practical,  every-day  affairs  of  student  life 
Horace  appeared  at  his  best.  The  letters  written 
by  his  father  to  friends  contain  many  references  to 
his  development,  not  only  as  a  result  of  his  study, 
but  through  his  intimate  association  with  men  in 
the  various  activities  of  college  life :  — 

October,  1891.  Horace  is  improving  in  his  singing.  The 
boys'  quartet  is  quite  a  success. 

November,  1891.  Holly  is  doing  finely  at  Beloit.  He  is 
a  big  fellow,  very  forceful  and  independent,  and  very  consci- 
entious. He  is  in  his  work  with  all  his  heart,  and  seems  to  be 
making  an  excellent  beginning.  He  seems  to  be  a  popular 
fellow  with  the  boys,  and  the  professor  who  is  chiefly  respon- 
sible for  him  speaks  of  him  in  the  most  complimentary 
manner. 

January,  1892.  It  is  rather  noticeable  how  that  boy  makes 
everything  go. 

May,  1892.  He  was  chosen  on  the  college  baseball  nine 
and  the  Glee  Club,  but  does  not  go  into  either,  as  he  thinks 
the  absence  would  interfere  with  his  studies.  For  the  same 
reason  he  declined  an  offer  to  play  the  organ  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

18 


Bt  Beloit 

These  records  indicate  an  unwillingness  to  enter 
into  other  forms  of  student  activity  during  academy- 
days.  But  the  time  soon  came  when  he  labored 
constantly  to  induce  Christian  men  to  enter  athlet- 
ics and  the  Glee  Club  in  order  that  their  influ- 
ence might  be  greater.  One  of  the  most  notable 
factors  in  his  success  among  men  of  prominence  in 
universities  and  colleges  was  his  ability  to  get  at  the 
captains  of  teams  and  the  leading  debaters  of  col- 
lege life,  and  draw  them  into  organized  Christian 
work. 

In  the  fall  of  1892  Horace  entered  Beloit  Col- 
lege, destined  to  graduate  with  the  class  of  '96. 
This  period  was  one  of  the  richest  in  his  personal 
experience,  for  it  was  here  that  his  rapid  develop- 
ment as  a  man  among  men,  and  a  Christian  leader, 
was  achieved.  As  a  student  Horace  did  not  rank 
high.  He  was  entirely  capable  of  taking  high  rank, 
but  he  seems  to  have  chosen  conscientiously  a 
middle  course,  between  those  who  "  grind "  and 
those  who  go  to  college  merely  because  they  are 
sent  and  desire  to  have  a  good  time. 

It  is  apparent  from  his  own  letters,  and  those 
gathered  from  among  his  classmates,  that  he  chose 
his  policy  well  aware  of  the  consequences.  From 
the  beginning  of  his  college  course  he  realized  that 
never  again  would  he  be  placed  in  an  environment 
where  his  Christian  influence  would  count  for  as 
much  as  in  college.  He  therefore  regulated  his 
19 


fln  ZlDemoriam 

program  with  Christian  work  accorded  a  prominent 
place  in  his  daily  schedule.  As  soon  as  he  was  re- 
leased from  the  routine  of  college  life  and  had  en- 
tered upon  his  work  as  a  Christian  leader  in  other 
institutions,  he  applied  himself  strenuously  to  ad- 
vance studies.  He  seemed  relieved  to  feel  that  the 
obligations  of  the  college  curriculum  had  been  re- 
moved, and  that  now  he  could  use  his  available 
time  for  study  in  a  manner  which  would  fit  him  for 
the  peculiar  work  which  he  had  undertaken.  This 
enthusiasm  for  study  resulted  in  his  qualification  for 
a  Master's  degree  among  the  very  first  of  his  class. 

Other  letters  written  by  his  father  during  his 
college  course  reveal  other  characteristics :  — 

Aprils  1893.  He  is  into  everything  —  study,  music,  athlet- 
ics, and  religion. 

August^  1894.  Horace  is  doing  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary work.  Nine  new  schools  started  with  450  boys  and  girls 
who  were  not  in  school  before.     A  good  summer's  work. 

July,  1895.  I  think  his  success  in  the  oratorical  contest  of 
his  class  was  entirely  unexpected  by  him,  although  I  thought 
he  was  likely  to  win.  There  are  two  or  three  of  his  class- 
mates who  seem  as  likely  as  he  to  come  out  ahead  in  a 
contest  of  that  kind. 

As  a  leader  of  his  college  class  he  was  elected  as 
vice-president  during  the  years  1892  and  '93,  and 
as  president  in  1895. 

During  the  year  1895-96,  Horace  acted  as  busi- 
ness   manager    of    The   Round   Table,  the    college 


Bt  JBeloft 

paper  published  at  Beloit.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  football  team  in  1893,  and  continued  to  play 
the  game  not  only  while  at  Beloit,  but  during  the 
next  three  years,  while  he  served  as  General  Secre- 
tary at  two  of  the  largest  universities  of  the  coun- 
try. His  influence  on  the  football  team  was  like 
that  exerted  in  the  "  Hoard  Rifles."  An  incident 
illustrating  the  boldness  of  his  Christian  character 
is  given  by  W.  B.  Van  Akin,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  football  eleven  with  him  :  — 

I  well  remember  one  football  team  on  which  Rose  and  I 
played  in  our  early  college  days.  Nine  men  out  of  the  eleven 
were  sons  of  preachers,  and  during  one  of  the  football  games 
some  one  of  the  opposing  team  was  swearing  in  a  most  shock- 
ing manner.  During  a  lull  after  one  of  the  scrimmages,  Rose 
went  up  to  him  and  said  in  substance,  "  You  are  dragging  in 
the  dust  the  name  of  my  best  friend,  and  it  hurts  me  every 
time  you  do  it.  I  wish  you  would  quit !  "  That  stopped  the 
swearing  for  the  game. 

During  the  years  '91  and  '93  Rose  was  a  member 
of  the  college  baseball  team.  He  became  one  of 
the  best  catchers  in  the  Middle  West,  and  the  ex- 
perience gained  was  always  valuable  to  him  in  after 
years,  when  at  Summer  Conferences,  Bible  Institutes, 
and  Presidents'  Conferences,  teams  from  among  the 
delegates  were  organized  to  play  other  teams. 
Rose  was  always  chosen  as  captain  of  the  "  Asso- 
ciation Team,"  and  his  coaching  will  always  be 
remembered  by  those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to 
21 


Un  flDemoriam 

be  within  range  of  his  voice.     He  could  play  in  any 
position,  and  was  considered  a  strong  batter. 

During  the  second  year  of  his  college  course  he 
became  a  member  of  the  College  Glee  Club. 

"  I  bought  my  dress  suit  while  I  was  in  college,"  he  told  a 
friend  afterwards,  "  though  I  was  working  my  way  mostly, 
and  did  not  have  much  money  to  spare.  I  wanted  to  get 
on  to  the  management  of  the  Glee  Club  for  certain  reasons, 
and  needed  a  dress  suit,  so  I  put  in  some  extra  work  to  earn 
money  for  it." 

As  a  debater  his  skill  steadily  developed.  Dur- 
ing his  freshman  year  he  won  first  prize  in  the 
declamation  contest.  In  extempore  speaking  dur- 
ing his  junior  year  he  took  first  place.  Later  he 
was  selected  as  a  prize  speaker  in  the  home  oratori- 
cal contest,  and  won  the  first  place  in  the  Interstate 
Oratorical  Contest,  much  to  the  surprise  and  grati- 
fication of  all  his  friends,  the  winning  colleges  of 
ten  States  competing  for  the  honor.  The  readiness 
of  speech  which  gave  him  these  honors  was  used 
by  him  as  an  exponent  of  a  manly  Christian  life 
during  the  years  of  his  travel  when  he  stirred  the 
Christian  life  of  a  hundred  or  more  colleges  west  of 
the  Mississippi  as  far  as  the  coast. 

His  chief  religious  work  was  done  in  the  Student 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Beloit  College, 
as  treasurer  during  the  year  beginning  1893,  as 
vice-president  during  1894,  and  as  president  by  a 
unanimous  vote  during  his  senior  year.  His  associ- 
22 


Ht  JBeloit 

ate  in  religious  work,  Mr.  C.  B.  Olds,  now  a  missionary 
in  Japan,  describes  his  religious  service  as  follows :  — 

I  must  speak  of  the  kind  of  work  that  he  did.  In  the 
first  place  he  regarded  it  as  his  duty  to  be  interested,  heart 
and  soul,  in  everything  that  was  best  in  the  life  about  him, 
both  for  the  sake  of  personal  culture  and  for  the  sake  of  in- 
fluence. There  was  nothing  good  going  on  in  college  or 
church  or  home  that  he  was  not  actively  in  it.  In  athletics 
he  was  an  all-round  man  —  he  was  on  the  "  nine,"  on  the 
"  eleven,"  on  the  track  team,  and  was  interested  in  every  other 
sport.  He  was  on  the  Glee  Club,  in  the  college  choir,  and  the 
church  choir.  He  was  in  the  church  Young  People's  Society 
of  Christian  Endeavor  as  chairman  of  the  Lookout  Committee, 
or  some  other  important  committee.  He  was  leader  of  the 
Boys'  Brigade,  which  also  he  organized,  and  he  met  with  the 
boys  weekly.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  his  fraternity, 
and  he  was  at  one  time  business  manager  of  the  college  paper, 
which  meant  a  great  amount  of  work.  He  did  not  neglect 
social  duties,  and  he  was  a  welcome  visitor  in  many  homes. 

All  these  things  and  many  other  occasional  duties  were 
part  of  his  daily  life,  and  they  took  time.  But  his  work  was 
in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  impressing  with 
noble  ideals  many  of  the  otherwise  neglected  young  men. 
From  the  beginning  of  his  life  in  college  he  had  his  part  in 
this  work.  He  rarely  missed  a  prayer-meeting ;  and  his  words, 
which  he  seldom  failed  in  expressing,  were  spoken  with  great 
earnestness  and  directness  that  kindled  response  in  all  of  us. 

Horace  was  remarkable  as  a  constantly  growing  man,  and 
it  was  in  this  ability  to  approach  and  impress  men  that  his 
greatest  growth  was  seen.  When  he  reached  his  senior  year 
and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  election  ap- 
proached, there  was  no  question  as  to  the  one  who  should 
be  elected  president,  though  there  were  other  strong  men  in 
the  class.     He  had  shown  himself  to  be  head  and  shoulders 

23 


f  n  fl&emoriam 

above  all  the  rest  in  this  field,  and  when  he  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  work  he  devoted  his  very  life  to  it.  He  dis- 
played a  wonderful  power  to  bring  and  hold  men  together  in 
the  work.  He  never  was  an  autocrat.  He  sought  and 
received  advice  and  suggestions  from  all,  so  that  the  humblest 
of  those  he  gathered  about  him  felt  that  they  were  comrades 
together.  Yet  his  personality  dominated  all.  He  was  in 
close  fellowship  with  the  Master,  and  through  his  personality 
he  brought  all  who  were  with  him  into  the  same  fellowship. 

His  constant  passion  was  to  win  men  to  Christ.  He 
prepared  for  the  Day  of  Prayer  weeks  and  even  months 
beforehand.  He  gathered  his  workers  about  him  for  daily 
prayer  for  success  in  winning  men.  And  so  in  the  old  music- 
room  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  fellows  met  together  in  the 
gloom  of  the  early  evening,  to  pray  with  one  accord  for  the 
conversion  of  men.  We  prayed  not  for  ourselves,  but  for 
individuals  by  name,  whom  we  also  talked  over  together  as 
brothers.  And  the  work  did  not  end  with  prayers.  If  no 
one  else  followed  the  men  up,  Horace  did,  with  a  persistence 
that  never  let  go.  He  saw  these  men  personally,  again  and 
again,  and  not  only  invited  them  to  meetings,  but  had  inter- 
views with  them,  seeking  to  win  them  to  Christ. 

Such  work  was  bound  to  tell ;  and  many  a  man  may  date 
the  beginning  of  his  Christian  life  to  the  earnest  appeal 
of  Horace  Rose,  made  to  him  in  his  room  while  he  was  a 
student  at  Beloit  College.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing, 
on  the  day  of  an  important  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion prayer-meeting,  for  him  to  go  through  the  dormitory  and 
invite  personally  every  one  of  the  sixty  or  seventy  men  in  the 
hall  to  attend  the  meeting,  and  frequently  he  had  interviews 
with  a  dozen  or  more  men  in  a  single  day  regarding  the  duty 
of  deciding  for  Christ. 

On  the  eve  of  the  Day  of  Prayer,  I  remember,  he  and  two 
others  of  us  got  together  and  planned  the  campaign  for  the 
long  awaited  day.  We  agreed,  I  recollect,  to  pray  for  three 
24 


Ht  IBeloit 

definite  things.  I  forget  the  third,  but  two  things  were  to 
pray  for  a  renewed  interest  in  the  work  on  the  part  of  some 
of  the  Christian  men  who  had  become  indifferent,  and  the 
conversion  of  at  least  a  dozen  men  as  a  result  of  the  day's 
work.  We  talked  over  freely  the  conditions  of  prayer,  and 
asked  ourselves  if  our  faith  was  equal  to  such  petitions. 
Having  decided  that  it  was,  we  prayed  with  an  intensity 
of  conviction.  Going  out  from  that  little  meeting,  Horace 
went  to  work,  and  that  with  all  his  might.  Well,  it  was 
a  wonderful  day.  I  remember,  at  its  close,  Horace  came  to 
me  and  said,  "  Well,  I  guess  our  prayer  was  answered,"  and 
surely  so  it  seemed. 

Rose  belonged  to  the  Beloit  chapter  of  Beta 
Theta  Pi.  There  is  every  evidence  that  he  con- 
sidered his  connection  with  the  fraternity  both  as 
a  great  opportunity  and  as  something  of  an  impedi- 
ment to  his  freedom  in  doing  personal  work  with 
men  outside  of  fraternities  who  were  in  need  of 
help.  Mr.  Olds  says,  "  He  was  a  fraternity  man, 
and  the  fraternity  men  liked  him,  but  he  was  none 
the  less,  however,  just  as  much  a  friend  of  the  man 
who  was  'out  of  things.'  He  made  special  efforts 
to  make  the  lonesome  men  feel  that  they  were 
somebody.  Once,  at  his  suggestion,  two  or  three 
of  us  went  around  with  him  to  some  of  the  best 
houses  in  town,  suggesting  that  the  good  people 
invite  a  few  of  the  lonesome  fellows  to  spend 
Thanksgiving  Day  with  them.  This  resulted  in  a 
happy  day  for  many,  both  entertainers  and  enter- 
tained." 

25 


Un  ZlDemoriam 

Still  another  classmate  writes  :  "  It  was  through 
Rose's  personal  influence  that  I  joined  Beta  Theta 
Pi  fraternity,"  which  shows  that  he  entered  heartily 
into  the  life  of  the  chapter. 

A  classmate,  who  was  a  constant  associate  not 
only  in  studies  but  in  his  religious  work,  says  :  — 

Horace  was  a  member  of  the  college  fraternity,  but  was 
not  what  is  generally  known  as  a  fraternity  man.  I  think  no 
man  of  Betas  of  his  time  was  so  loved  and  respected  by  Beta 
men.  Fear  lest  his  fraternity  connection  might  "  queer  "  him 
with  the  rest  of  the  boys  made  him  think  more  about  them 
and  give  more  attention  to  the  unpopular,  green,  unsought 
and  unknown  young  "  preps  "  than  he  did  to  more  popular 
men. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Parker,  Secretary  of  the  Student  De- 
partment of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions of  Chicago,  writes :  "  My  first  meeting  with 
Rose  was  at  the  Student  Summer  Conference  at 
Lake  Geneva  during  the  summer  of  1896.  We 
were  fraternity  brothers,  and  about  the  first  ques- 
tion he  asked  me  was,  '  What  do  the  Beta  boys  in 
your  college  do  for  Jesus  Christ  ? '  Every  relation- 
ship in  life  became  to  him  an  opportunity  for 
spreading  the  knowledge  of  Jesus." 

It  is  unfortunately  true  that  in  some  institutions 
now,  as  at  the  time  when  Rose  was  actively  at  work, 
fraternity  life  is  supposed  to  be  antagonistic  to 
activity  in  organized  religious  work.  But  Rose  con- 
stantly asserted  his  faith  that  men  would  respond  to 
26 


at  JSeloit 

appeals  to  enter  active  religious  service  in  college, 
whether  inside  or  outside  of  fraternity  houses.  It 
was  this  conviction  that  led  him  into  great  dormi- 
tories, laboratories,  and  chapter  houses  where  he 
could  come  into  touch  with  the  strong  as  well  as  the 
weak,  and  exalt  the  character  of  the  life  of  Christ. 
In  many  an  institution,  fraternities  among  whose 
members  there  were  no  active  religious  leaders 
became  strongholds  of  religious  influence.  And  it 
is  a  fact  of  great  significance  that  during  the  year 
1903-4  more  than  a  dozen  fraternities  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  where  Rose  served  as  General 
Secretary  for  two  years,  have  agreed  to  organize 
fraternity  Bible  classes,  and  have  been  instrumen- 
tal in  securing  the  co-operation  of  many  promi- 
nent men  in  the  university  in  the  organized  work  of 
the  student  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

Rose's  habits  of  work  were  systematic  of  neces- 
sity, because  of  the  large  number  of  interests  to 
which  he  gave  himself.  Mr.  Olds  says  of  this 
characteristic :  — 

I  remember  his  telling  me  at  one  time  that  he  had  over 
forty  different  engagements  for  the  week  ahead  of  him,  out- 
side of  his  regular  college  work.  Of  such  engagements  he 
had  an  abundance  commensurate  with  his  intensity.  It  was 
a  source  of  wonder  that  he  was  able  to  stand  such  an  amount 
of  work  and  yet  keep  so  vigorously  well,  for  his  health  was 
so  robust  as  to  be  contagious,  and  none  were  more  jovial  on 
all  occasions  than  he. 

Throughout  his  whole  life  he  was  conscientious  to  the 
27 


Tin  /iDemottam 

last  degree  in  the  care  of  his  health.  It  was  only  by  a 
scrupulous  regard  for  his  bodily  condition  that  he  was  able 
to  do  what  he  did.  He  made  vigorous  daily  exercise  a 
religious  duty,  and  his  cold  morning  bath  was  as  regular  as 
his  Bible  study. 

For  want  of  dumb-bells  during  his  travels,  he 
used  his  walking-shoes,  but  he  much  preferred  out- 
door exercise  to  the  modern  systems  of  muscular 
contractions  and  relaxations. 

The  characteristic  of  cheerfulness  which  was  a 
prominent  factor  in  his  success  at  Beloit,  is  thus 
described :  — 

His  college  life  was  characterized  by  an  unfailing  cheer- 
fulness and  a  buoyant  optimism.  He  had  high  ideals,  and 
believed  in  the  triumph  of  the  best  things.  He  had  a  cheery 
word  for  every  one  at  all  times,  whether  he  was  personally 
acquainted  with  them  or  not.  The  rawest  country  boy  in  the 
junior  preparatory  soon  came  to  accost  him  familiarly  as 
"  Horace  "  or  "  Holly,"  and  he  never  did  anything  to  make  any 
one  feel  uncomfortable  in  his  presence.  He  was  afraid  of  no 
one,  and  spoke  his  mind  freely.  Yet  he  never  expressed  him- 
self as  strongly  on  any  matter  to  any  one  as  to  the  person 
whom  he  felt  to  be  doing  an  injustice.  If  he  disapproved  of 
any  policy  of  any  of  the  professors  or  of  any  action,  he  went 
to  them  and  told  them  so,  and  he  generally  succeeded  in 
making  them  see  things  as  he  did. 

He  enjoyed  good  times,  and  when  off  with  young  people 
he  was  sometimes  a  perfect  clown,  as  though  his  natural 
exuberance  of  spirits  compelled  him  to  effervesce.  Even 
into  social  meetings  he  carried  his  seeming  lightness,  so 
that  he  sometimes  shocked  the  more  conventional  ones. 
But  in  the  midst  of  it  all,  he  could  stop  and  offer  up  a  prayer 
that  touched  the  hearts  of  us  all. 
28 

\ 


at  Beloit 

Throughout  his  college  course  he  devoted  him- 
self to  preaching  and  speaking  in  churches,  not 
only  in  the  college  town,  but  in  the  surrounding 
country.  Professor  Blaisdell,  under  whom  he  did 
much  of  his  work  in  his  senior  year,  remonstrated 
with  him  over  the  amount  of  time  devoted  to  this 
outside  preaching.  Since  he  could  not  decide  to 
relinquish  any  of  his  religious  work,  he  gave  himself 
the  more  thoroughly  to  his  studies  in  order  to  justify 
his  position.  During  his  vacations  he  served  as  a 
Sunday-school  missionary  in  the  employ  of  the  State 
Sunday-school  Association. 

In  the  midst  of  one  of  these  vacation  periods 
spent  in  organizing  Sunday  schools,  after  a  hard 
day's  work  on  his  wheel,  he  wished  to  spend  the 
night  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  to  be  ready 
for  work  the  next  morning.  He  persuaded  a  young 
farmer  at  work  in  the  field  to  take  him  and  his  wheel 
across  in  a  boat.  The  tall  rushes  prevented  their 
reaching  the  opposite  shore  by  some  little  distance. 
Nothing  daunted,  he  rolled  up  his  trousers,  stepped 
out  into  the  water,  took  his  wheel  on  his  shoulders, 
his  shoes  and  bag  of  literature  under  his  arm,  and 
waded  ashore.  He  went  to  the  nearest  farmhouse, 
told  his  errand,  and  asked  for  entertainment  over 
night.  The  farmer  answered  him  gruffly,  saying, 
"  We  don't  want  any  Sunday  school  in  these  parts, 
and  you  couldn't  find  children  enough  to  make  a 
Sunday  school,  and  you  can't  stay  over  night." 
29 


fln  /iDemoriam 

Horace  asked  if  he  might  stay  and  rest  a  while, 
and  have  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk.  Consent  being 
given,  he  interested  himself  in  the  stock  while  the 
farmer  went  about  doing  his  chores.  This  being 
accomplished,  he  invited  him  in  to  supper.  Here 
Horace  so  won  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  children 
and  their  parents  that  he  was  not  only  invited  to 
stay  all  night,  but  the  children  were  promised  to 
him  for  his  Sunday  school. 

It  was  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  or 
early  in  his  college  course,  that  he  made  his  first 
public  address  after  a  summer  vacation  spent  in  the 
organization  of  Sunday  schools.  All  the  churches 
of  his  home  town  united  to  listen  to  him.  He 
greatly  prized  the  commendation  of  the  managers 
of  Sunday-school  work  in  Philadelphia,  who  compli- 
mented him  for  his  unexcelled  record  in  organizing 
schools.  During  one  of  the  summers  in  which  he 
acted  as  Sunday-school  missionary,  he  sprained  his 
ankle  playing  baseball  with  the  children  in  the 
neighborhood  where  he  was  laboring.  While  he 
was  temporarily  incapacitated  for  his  travelling-work, 
he  withdrew  to  his  father's  church  and  organized  a 
Bible  class  among  the  Christian  Endeavorers.  In 
that  Bible  class,  short  in  actual  duration,  he  created 
in  the  lives  of  the  young  people  such  a  love  for  the 
study,  that  they  have  continued  it  to  the  present 
time  as  a  regular  feature  of  their  devotional  ex- 
ercises. 

3° 


Bt  Beloit 

He  was  a  man  of  very  ready  speech,  and  could  fit 
himself  into  occasions  quickly.  One  who  joined 
him  in  his  preaching  tours  has  said  :  — 

He  frequently  went  out  to  a  schoolhouse  in  a  neighbor- 
ing town  and  made  a  powerful  gospel  appeal,  not  without  vis- 
ible  results.  On  one  occasion  several  of  us  were  to  go  out 
to  a  schoolhouse  with  him  to  sing  at  a  meeting,  and  Horace's 
father  was  to  go  with  us  to  preach.  We  went  in  two  convey- 
ances, Horace  and  another  friend  in  the  first  one,  and  Mr. 
Rose  and  myself  in  the  other.  They  went  ahead  as  they 
knew  the  road,  and  as  we  were  not  acquainted  with  it  we 
followed.  By  some  chance  the  carriages  became  separated, 
and  we  made  the  wrong  turn  and  so  lost  our  way.  We 
drove  a  considerable  distance  out  of  the  way,  with  the  result 
that  we  did  not  reach  the  school  until  an  hour  after  the  ap- 
pointed time.  But  we  learned  that  the  people  had  not  suf- 
fered by  our  absence,  for,  though  all  unprepared,  the  son, 
after  waiting  a  few  minutes,  had  taken  the  matter  into  his 
own  hands,  and  had  given  the  people  such  a  talk  as  the  father 
never  could  have  done.  I  believe  there  were  several  con- 
fessed conversions  that  night.  Everywhere  he  went  he 
showed  the  same  power.  During  a  considerable  period  of 
his  junior  and  senior  years  he  went  out  regularly  every  Sun- 
day to  a  point  about  thirty  miles  distant  and  preached  twice, 
to  two  different  congregations. 

Perhaps  the  most  prominent  characteristic  of  his 
life  and  influence  at  Beloit  was  his  power  to  "  mix  " 
with  people.  Mr.  Olds  finishes  his  letter  with  the 
following  reference  :  — 

There  was  something  surprising  about  his  power  over 
men.     This  developed  very  much  after  he  left  college,  but 

31 


1Tn  flDemortam 

even  in  those  earlier  days  I  remember  that  I  never  had  a 
good  conversation  with  him  without  feeling  big  inside,  with- 
out feeling  more  courageous,  more  determined  to  make  the 
most  of  myself,  more  alive  to  the  possibilities  of  life.  He 
impressed  one  always,  that  it  was  a  good  thing  to  live  and  be 
a  man  among  men.  He  was  a  great  commoner.  Like  almost 
no  other  man  in  the  college  he  was  the  friend  of  all  classes, 
intimate  with  all. 

The  Round  Table  of  Beloit  College  printed  an 
article  after  his  death,  of  which  the  following  is  an 
extract :  — 

There  are  very  few  college  men  who  are  able  to  be  as 
active  in  all  lines  of  student  life  as  was  Mr.  Rose.  Few  have 
the  capability,  few  the  physique,  to  undertake  such  manifold 
responsibilities.  A  careful  student,  a  prominent  literary  man, 
a  conspicuous  athlete,  a  prize  orator  —  in  all  he  proved  him- 
self to  be  of  great  ability  and  a  natural  leader.  It  was,  how- 
ever, as  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
that  he  worked  hardest  and  accomplished  most.  Under  his 
leadership  the  Association  was  brought  to  a  more  thorough 
organization  than  it  had  ever  known  before ;  it  gained  a 
standard  of  effective  service  and  an  impetus  for  work  that 
has  ever  since  been  felt.  He  led  the  men  in  personal  work  ; 
by  doing  so  he  showed  the  men  how  to  perform  this  most  im- 
portant service.  He  never  asked  another  man  to  do  what 
he  himself  refused  to  perform,  thus  proving  himself  a  true 
and  worthy  leader.  By  his  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  he  in- 
spired men  for  Christian  work.  He  was  the  first  to  call  to- 
gether the  men  for  the  daily  prayer-meetings ;  he  maintained 
them  by  his  loyalty  and  faith.  Every  man  was  made  to  feel 
a  responsibility  for  the  religious  and  moral  tone  of  the  col- 
lege. Mr.  Rose  did  one  of  the  hardest  things  in  the  world ; 
^2 


Ht  Beloit 

he  lived  a  blameless  life  in  every    particular,  before  his  fel- 
lows.    He  was  the  beau  ideal  of  many  an  under-class  man. 

For  some  years  Mr.  Rose  had  been  looking  toward  the  min- 
istry as  the  place  where  he  wished  to  serve  his  Master  and  his 
fellowmen.  His  life  in  college  was  so  directed  that  every  ex- 
perience might  avail  to  make  him  strong  in  this  lifework. 
During  a  part  of  his  senior  year  in  college  he  preached  every 
Sunday  in  two  small  villages  in  the  northern  part  of  this 
county  He  secured  a  wonderful  hold  upon  the  lives  of 
these  country  people,  leading  them  to  higher  planes  of  living 
and  thinking,  just  as  he  had  led  his  associates  in  college. 
No  little  child  was  ever  passed  unnoticed  ;  no  unbeliever  ever 
spoke  slightingly  of  him ;  many  became  better  men  and 
women  because  of  this  preacher's  interest  and  constant  solici- 
tude about  their  soul's  salvation. 

Toward  the  end  of  his  course  at  Beloit,  Rose 
began  to  think  seriously  of  the  character  of  his  life- 
work  and  the  place  where  it  should  be  spent.  Al- 
ready he  had  left  his  impression  upon  the  entire 
student  body  at  Beloit.  At  the  close  of  one  of  his 
evangelistic  tours  among  the  country  towns  about 
Beloit,  in  which  Rose  had  done  most  of  the  speak- 
ing while  four  other  members  of  the  Beloit  Associa- 
tion had  furnished  the  music,  he  remarked  to  one  of 
his  companions  as  they  were  discussing  what  had 
been  accomplished,  "  Bill,  the  thing  that  bothers 
me  more  than  anything  else  is,  are  we  giving  to  the 
people  the  real  gospel  ?  "  The  man  with  whom  he 
had  this  conversation  said,  "  I  well  remember  dur- 
ing his  senior  year  in  college,  how  the  cabinet  used 
to  meet  every  morning  at  ten  minutes  before  eight  for 
33 


1Fn  ZlDemoriam 

a  little  session  of  prayer,  and  how,  as  a  result  of  that 
year's  work,  we  saw  fifty  men  won  to  Christ  by  the 
time  the  Day  of  Prayer  for  colleges  came  around." 

It  was  at  Beloit  also  that  his  appreciation  of  the 
value  of  time  and  his  accountability  to  his  Lord 
for  its  use  was  formed.  In  his  work  of  visiting  in 
the  rooms  of  college  men  he  systematized  his  calls 
carefully.  But  his  official  duties  in  the  Association 
were  so  heavy  that  he  was  obliged  to  curtail  his  ef- 
forts in  this  direction.  "  There  was  an  expression 
he  often  used,"  says  a  classmate,  "  as  he  excused  him- 
self after  a  jolly  chat.  '  No,  fellows,  this  is  mighty 
fine,  but  I  must  be  doing  something  profitable.'  " 

He  had  now  reached  the  point  where  he  was 
able  to  differentiate  between  the  things  that  were  of 
greatest  importance  and  those  which  were  only  of 
second  importance.  This  spirit  he  carried  with  him 
to  the  end. 


34 


Iowa  anfc  /HMcbfgan  mnfversttfes 

CHAPTER    III 

AT    IOWA    AND    MICHIGAN    STATE    UNIVERSITIES 

WHAT  the  pastor  of  a  church  is  to  his 
people,  the  general  secretary  of  a  stu- 
dent Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  to  the  students  of  a  college  or  university.  It 
is  doubtful  whether  any  position  has  ever  been  created 
in  any  branch  of  student  life  which,  when  properly 
filled,  is  of  such  value  to  student  life  as  the  general 
secretaryship.  The  secretary  is  not  only  a  pastor, 
but  he  is  in  a  very  real  sense  a  general  and  director 
of  large  forces  of  organized  Christian  workers  in  a 
field  whose  needs  are  peculiarly  great,  and  in  which 
results  are  promptly  achieved. 

It  was  natural  that  Rose  should  be  considered  a 
candidate  for  the  office  of  general  secretary  in  some 
institution,  since  his  leadership  as  president  of  the 
Beloit  Association  had  been  attended  with  such 
marked  success.  He  possessed  the  qualifications  of 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  spiritual  things.  He  was 
distinguished  as  a  personal  worker,  and  was  able  to 
raise  the  standard  of  Christian  ideals  in  an  institu- 
tion by  winning  athletes  and  other  leaders  of  student 
life  first  to  himself  and  then  to  Christian  work. 

He  was  called  during  the  summer  of  1896  to  be 
35 


ITn  /iDemortam 

general  secretary  of  the  Association  at  the  State 
University  of  Iowa  at  Iowa  City.  The  call  forced 
him  to  reconsider  the  question  of  his  lifework. 
Hitherto  he  had  been  leaning  in  his  thought  toward 
the  Christian  ministry,  but  his  observation  of  the  op- 
portunities afforded  a  pastor  for  actual  evangelistic 
work,  whether  by  address  or  by  personal  interview, 
had  led  him  to  feel  that  his  ministry  would  be  larger 
and  more  effective  if  it  could  be  rendered  as  a  lay- 
man in  some  religious  organization  where  a  layman's 
training  could  be  used  to  advantage.  He  called 
upon  many  of  his  friends  for  counsel  before  accept- 
ing the  call  as  general  secretary.  After  protesting 
that  he  was  not  fitted  to  take  upon  himself  such  a 
responsible  work,  he  accepted,  believing  that  the 
experience  of  one  year  in  the  office  would  be  help- 
ful in  reaching  his  final  conclusion  regarding  his 
lifework. 

Professor  Isaac  A.  Loos,  holding  the  chair  of 
political  economy  in  the  college  of  liberal  arts  at  the 
University  of  Iowa,  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
responsible  for  his  call.     He  writes  :  — 

In  the  summer  of  1896  the  officers  and  advisory  commit- 
tee of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  were  looking 
about  for  a  secretary  who  could  bring  the  Christian  organiza- 
tions of  the  University  into  more  immediate  touch  with  the 
personnel  of  the  entire  University.  The  Christian  Associa- 
tion, a  number  of  us  felt,  had  become  isolated.  It  had 
come  to  be  an  institution  that  stood  by  itself  rather  than  for 
the  entire  University.     To  accomplish  the  specific  work  in 

36 


flowa  anfc  flDicbigan  Xllniverstttes 

hand,  Mr.  C.  C.  Michener  and  John  R.  Mott,  then  actively 
connected  with  the  general  direction  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  work  in  the  colleges,  recommended 
Horace  W.  Rose  of  Beloit  College,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Rose 
came  among  us  and  took  hold  of  the  work  with  intelligence, 
sympathy,  and  vigor,  and  accomplished  for  the  association  the 
very  thing  we  had  hoped  for  in  the  course  of  a  year.  Mr. 
Rose  was  possessed  of  the  spirit  of  what  is  sometimes  called 
the  new  humanity.  To  him  all  men  were  worthy  and  worth 
while.  Personal  differences  and  selfish  interests  were  by  him 
easily  subordinated  to  a  general  interest.  He  was  devoted  to 
the  spiritual  and  moral  welfare  of  men  as  well  as  to  their 
social  pleasures  and  intellectual  development.  He  had  a  fine 
sense  of  the  relative  value  of  all  of  these  qualities.  He  met 
men  readily,  easily,  and  effectively.  No  one  doubted  his  sin- 
cerity and  his  breadth  of  sympathy.  He  always  thought  of 
himself  last  and  of  his  work  first.  He  is  remembered  as  an 
effective  administrator,  genial  friend,  and  true  man. 

The  Roimd    Table    at    Beloit    commented  upon 
his  decision  to  enter  association  work  as  follows  :  — 

The  perfection  of  the  organization  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  its  deep  spiritual  work  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  International  Committee.  These  things 
and  in  addition  the  remarkable  personality  of  Mr.  Rose  as 
shown  at  the  summer  conference  at  Lake  Geneva,  led  the 
committee  to  look  upon  him  as  an  invaluable  man  for  broader 
work  in  this  field.  Consequently,  after  his  graduation  in 
1896,  he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the  College  Association 
of  the  State  University  of  Iowa  at  Iowa  City.  After  carefully 
considering  the  call,  and  deciding  that  for  the  present  his  minis- 
try must  be  to  college  men,  he  accepted. 

The  records  of  his  work  at  the  University  of  Iowa 
37 


tfn  flDemortam 

are  few.  They  are  sufficient,  however,  to  show  that 
the  same  characteristics  which  made  him  effective 
at  Beloit,  were  fitting  him  for  the  difficult  task  of 
general  secretary  in  this  great  university. 

The  following  letter  from  Professor  J.  J.  Louis, 
Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  at  Harlan, 
Iowa,  and  a  prominent  leader  in  Christian  work  at 
the  university  during  the  period  of  Rose's  service, 
describes  the  character  of  his  work  well :  — 

The  first  I  knew  of  Rose  was  when  I  entered  the  Asso- 
ciation building  on  my  return  at  the  beginning  of  my  sopho- 
more year.  I  was  not  a  stranger  there.  Mr.  Rose  saw  me 
enter  the  door,  and  knowing  that  he  had  not  seen  me  before, 
he  came  toward  me  with  extended  hand  to  grasp  mine  as  he 
said  in  his  rich  bass  voice,  "  My  name  is  Rose.  I'm  very  glad 
to  meet  you.  I  hope  to  see  a  great  deal  of  you  around  the 
Association  headquarters." 

He  began  a  social  campaign,  and  won  a  majority  of  the 
students  to  himself  and  the  Association  by  his  Christian 
spirit  of  good  fellowship  and  magnanimity.  He  was 
broad,  —  not  in  a  sense  that  he  would  accept  any  or  all  opin- 
ions, but  in  that  he  would  not  allow  differences  over  non-es- 
sentials to  mar  his  work. 

He  occupied  a  large  place  in  the  affections  of  the  fellows. 
He  sang  in  the  Glee  Club  and  one  of  the  choirs,  was  manager 
of  the  track  team  —  in  fact,  he  came  nearer  touching  the  life 
of  the  student  body  than  any  man  who  has  been  general  sec- 
retary before  or  since  his  time.  He  inaugurated  the  giving 
of  socials  to  classes  and  to  colleges,  and  brought  all  depart- 
ments in  close  touch  with  each  other. 

His  year  was  one  of  preparation  rather  than  of  special 
results.      Had   he   remained,  he  would   have    changed   the 

38 


tfowa  an&  flMcbigan  ^Universities 

Greek-letter  fraternities  from  their  attitude  of  opposing  the 
Association  to  that  of  thorough  support  and  co-operation. 
He  was  a  Greek,  and  had  the  tact  to  win  them  completely 
without  antagonizing  them.  Thoroughly  religious,  he  realized 
and  asserted  that  college  men  were  not  to  be  won  by  "  Salva- 
tion Army  methods." 

He  was  quite  what  was  needed  at  Iowa,  —  a  social  force 
respected  by  all,  broader  than  any  clique  or  society.  There 
were  several  conversions  during  his  administration,  but  the 
uplift  that  was  greatest  was  in  the  general  spirit  of  confidence 
and  hopefulness  which  his  leadership,  religious  faith,  and  fer- 
vor inspired. 

Late  in  the  spring  of  1897,  Rose  took  up  again 
the  consideration  of  his  lifework.  He  formed  the 
ambition  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary as  an  Association  secretary  in  some  non- 
Christian  land,  with  India  as  his  choice.  On  sev- 
eral occasions  he  went  over  the  ground  with  his 
father,  as  well  as  with  other  friends.  The  humility 
of  his  daily  life  is  shown  by  the  strong  feeling  which 
he  had  of  his  disqualification,  a  feeling  which  found 
expression  in  such  words  as,  "  I  am  not  fit  to  be  a 
minister."  His  fear  that  he  would  be  limited  in  his 
personal  approach  to  men  by  a  theological  training 
and  the  standards  of  pulpit  work,  had  much  to  do 
with  his  final  choice.  To  him  the  most  effective 
way  of  leading  people  into  the  Christian  life  was  not 
public  address  or  platform  work,  but  rather  personal 
interviews  on  occasions  which  he  himself  purposely 
made.  He  was  strongly  attracted  by  Association 
39 


1Fn  /iDemortam 

work,  since  in  it  great  emphasis  was  laid  upon  per- 
sonal work  and  the  organization  of  classes  to  train 
men  for  such  service. 

He  shared  the  belief  held  by  Henry  Clay  Trum- 
bull, expressed  in  his  book  entitled  "  Individual 
Work  for  Individuals,"  that  personal  work  was  the 
best  method  of  leading  a  large  number  into  Chris- 
tian life  and  the  church.  "  Reaching  one  person  at 
a  time  is  the  best  way  of  reaching  all  the  world  in 
time.  Reaching  one  person  at  a  time  is  the  best 
way  of  reaching  a  single  individual.  Therefore, 
seeking  a  single  individual  is  the  best  way  of  win- 
ning one  person  or  a  multitude  to  Christ.  The  world 
is  made  up  of  individuals.  Christ  longs  for  individ- 
uals to  be  in  his  service,  therefore  he  who  considers 
Christ's  love  or  the  world's  needs  will  think  most  of 
individuals  and  will  do  most  for  individuals."  He 
often  said,  however,  that  he  wanted  to  get  closer  to 
men  than  the  pulpit ;  but  while  he  believed  in  this 
principle,  he  did  not  neglect  public  work  or  prepara- 
tion for  it,  for  it  was  through  his  addresses  that  he 
gained  a  hearing  which  made  his  personal  work 
effective.  He  had  already  learned  at  Beloit  and 
the  University  of  Iowa,  the  truth  in  the  statement 
by  Bossuet,  the  great  French  preacher,  quoted  in 
Trumbull's  book  :  "It  requires  more  faith  and  cour- 
age to  say  two  words  face  to  face  with  one  single 
sinner  than  from  the  pulpit  to  rebuke  two  or  three 
thousand  persons  ready  to  listen  to  everything  on 
40 


Uowa  an&  /IDicbigan  ^Universities 

condition  of  forgetting  all."  His  decision  to  enter 
upon  Association  work  was  reached  prayerfully  ;  but 
when  he  had  once  recorded  his  purpose,  he  ex- 
pressed a  joy  which  sent  him  into  his  next  year  of 
service  with  abounding  vigor  and  consecration. 

Before  the  close  of  the  spring  term  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Iowa  he  was  called  to  be  general  secretary 
of  the  newly  organized  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  The 
circumstances  attending  the  call  to  the  work  in 
Michigan  caused  him  to  consider  the  field  with  care 
before  accepting.  For  many  years  the  Students' 
Christian  Association  of  the  University  of  Michigan 
had  existed  as  the  only  voluntary  religious  organi- 
zation doing  work  among  students.  It  had  with- 
in its  membership  both  young  men  and  young 
women,  and  was  not  affiliated  with  the  International 
Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. 

The  position  to  which  he  was  called  was  that  of 
leader  of  a  small  group  of  men  who  had  withdrawn 
from  the  older  society  and  had  organized  a  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  to  be  affiliated  with  the 
International  and  State  Associations.  The  decision 
to  start  a  separate  organization  was  reached  only 
after  hours,  if  not  days  and  months,  of  prayerful  de- 
liberation. But  the  determination  of  a  few  men  was 
so  strong  that  nothing  short  of  a  large  effort  was 
deemed  feasible.  They  therefore  called  Rose  as 
4i 


Hn  /iDemortam 

their  general  secretary,  and  invited  him  to  visit  the 
University  to  review  the  situation. 

It  is  said  that  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit 
there  were  a  score  or  more  of  faithful  men  on  whom 
chief  reliance  was  to  be  placed  in  developing  the 
new  work.  A  certain  element  of  persecution  had 
entered  into  their  plans  which  forced  them  to  much 
prayer.  This  was  the  salvation  of  their  enterprise. 
These  men  met  Rose  in  a  room,  and  for  many  hours 
consulted  with  him  over  the  outlook.  There  seemed 
still  to  be  some  doubt  regarding  the  wisdom  of  cer- 
tain steps  to  be  taken.  It  was  proposed  that  those 
who  favored  advance  should  assemble  on  one  side 
of  the  room,  and  those  who  favored  giving  up  the 
effort  should  remain  on  the  other  side.  All  but  one 
or  two  agreed  to  undertake  the  new  work,  and  from 
that  day  the  Association  grew  in  spiritual  power  and 
in  numbers  rapidly. 

Judge  V.  H.  Lane,  of  the  Law  Department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  who  for  many  years  has 
been  a  counsellor  of  the  Association  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  writes  as  follows  regarding  his  first 
acquaintance  with  Rose  and  his  work  during  the 
two  years  of  his  general  secretaryship  :  — 

I  knew  Mr.  Rose  but  a  short  time,  having  found  him 
here  as  general  secretary  when  I  came  to  connect  myself  with 
the  teaching  force  of  the  University,  in  October,  1897.  He 
was  struggling  with  great  wisdom  and  most  deeply  conse- 
crated zeal  and  industry  to  build  up  the  University  Associa- 
42 


Howa  an&  /HMcbiaan  XDLntverstties 

tion  then  recently  started.  As  I  think  of  it  now,  I  do  not 
recall  that  I  have  ever  known  a  man  so  successful  as  a  worker 
in  such  a  field.  His  sweet  spirit,  real  manliness  and  earnest 
sympathy,  bound  men  to  him  till  he  led  them  to  his  Master  or 
gave  them  a  better  conception  of  life. 

The  secret  of  his  power  (but  it  was  no  secret,  for  he  in 
season  and  out  of  season  was  continually  acknowledging  that 
it  was  not  he  who  wrought,  but  Christ  which  strengthened 
him)  was  first  his  rare  modesty  which  obtruded  never,  and 
never  held  him  from  any  path  of  Christ ;  and  second,  the 
complete  consecration  of  the  great  gifts  God  had  given  him, 
to  the  service  of  the  Giver.  Few  men  have  ever  lived  nearer 
to  God  than  he.  You  ask  for  "  striking  incidents,"  if  any  I 
recall  in  his  work  among  us  here.  Doubtless  there  are  many, 
but  the  particular  incident  of  his  Christian  work  was  lost  in 
his  continuous,  persistent  and  faithful  service  with  individuals 
and  groups  of  individuals  which  knew  no  particular  hour  or 
place,  but  only  an  opportunity,  and  which  was  likely  never  to 
be  known  save  over  yonder,  except  as  it  shone  out  from  lives 
here.  Would  that  the  world  had  many  more  like  Horace  W. 
Rose! 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Association  at  the  Uni- 
versity was  observed  first  in  the  Bible  study  depart- 
ment. Not  only  were  larger  numbers  being  enrolled 
month  by  month,  but  the  system  of  Bible  study  was 
being  perfected  so  that  there  was  continuity  and  pro- 
gression. Mission  study  was  started  and  developed, 
and  within  a  short  time  after  Rose  left  the  Univer- 
sity, practically  all  the  men  volunteers  in  the  Univer- 
sity were  members  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  Personal  Workers  classes  were  organ- 
ized, and  many  men  were  led  into  the  Christian  life 
43 


Un  flDemortam 

as  a  result  of  the  new  spirit  of  aggression  engen- 
dered. 

Professor  George  P.  Coler,  holding  one  of  the 
Bible  Chairs  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
writes  :  — 

I  am  very  glad  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  char- 
acter of  Mr.  Rose  and  of  the  great  work  he  did  among  stu- 
dents at  Ann  Arbor.  He  was  a  man  of  good  ability,  choice 
spirit,  and  strong  character.  The  most  marked  characteristic 
of  his  Christian  life  was  his  complete  consecration  to  the 
work  of  Christ.  His  personal  work  among  students  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  was  intelligent,  untiring,  and  very  ef- 
fective. I  have  been  in  Ann  Arbor  for  nine  years,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  no  other  Christian  worker  among  the  students 
has  accomplished  so  much  by  personal  work.  By  his  work 
and  his  life,  he  had  the  power  of  inspiring  all  who  came  in 
touch  with  him,  and  the  University  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  under  his  leadership,  became  a  great  source  of 
Christian  activity  and  social,  moral,  and  spiritual  influence. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  student  movement  the 
Association  was  viewed  with  solicitude  by  some 
pastors  who  felt  that  it  would  result  in  drawing  men 
from  church  work.  While  this  feeling  has  been  dis- 
pelled very  largely  in  recent  years  and  the  position 
of  the  Association  as  a  remarkably  powerful  arm  of 
the  church  has  been  demonstrated,  the  following 
letter  from  Rev.  J.  W.  Bradshaw,  now  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  but 
then  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  will  be  read  with 
interest : — 

44 


flowa  an&  flDicbiaan  ^Universities 

The  coming  of  Mr.  Rose  to  Ann  Arbor  marked  an  epoch 
in  the  religious  life  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  Under 
his  leadership,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  which 
had  been  organized  some  time  before,  but  was  still  in  feeble 
condition,  soon  developed  a  vigorous  life.  This  was  not 
without  its  wholesome  effect  upon  the  other  religious  organi- 
zations of  the  University. 

Through  his  personal  relations  with  the  student  body  in 
general,  Mr.  Rose  also  exerted  an  influence  which  was  far- 
reaching  and  powerful.  By  his  geniality  of  spirit,  his  genuine 
manliness,  his  interest  in  athletics  and  his  own  attainments  as 
an  athlete,  he  won  the  good-will  of  the  University  men,  and 
by  his  outspoken  but  simple  and  unaffected  loyalty  to  his 
Master,  he  commanded  their  respect  both  for  himself  and  for 
that  Christian  discipleship  which  he  represented. 

Aggressive  in  spirit,  fertile  in  resource,  interested  in  pro- 
moting the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  community  at  large,  as 
well  as  within  student  circles,  and  yet  modest  and  unassum- 
ing, he  soon  won  for  himself  the  esteem  and  affectionate  re- 
gard of  the  pastors  of  Ann  Arbor,  with  some  of  whom  his 
relations  speedily  developed  into  those  of  warm  friendship. 

It  was  with  regret  that  we  parted  with  him  as  he  was 
called  to  another  field  of  work,  and  with  sorrow  inexpressible 
that  we  learned  of  the  sudden  termination  of  his  so  useful 
and  promising  career. 

Mr.  H.  J.  McCreary,  who  succeeded  Rose  as 
general  secretary  in  the  fall  of  1899,  wrote  a  letter 
to  Horace  in  October  of  that  year,  describing  the 
opening  of  the  fall  session.  His  reference  to  Bible 
study  proves  how  effective  Rose  had  been  in  laying 
foundations. 

God  is  good  to  us  here  at  Ann  Arbor  in  blessing  our 
efforts.     We  now  have  one  hundred  and  three  men  enrolled 

45 


Hn  ZlDemoriam 

in  Bible  study,  seventy  in  the  Life  of  Christ,  nineteen  in  the 
Acts  and  Epistles,  five  in  Old  Testament,  and  nine  in  John, 
exclusive  of  leaders.  Last  Thursday  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  men  were  voted  into  membership.  At  the  meeting  yes- 
terday (Helm,  speaker),  $160.85  were  pledged  for  Beals'  out- 
fit.    We  hope  by  personal  effort  to  double  that  amount. 

That  the  work  at  Iowa  City  was  not  forgotten  is 
shown  by  many  letters  to  friends  while  Rose  was  at 
the  University  of  Michigan.  Mr.  J.  C.  Prall  had 
become  the  leader  at  Iowa  City.  Rose  in  the  mean- 
time had  become  not  only  general  secretary  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  but  also  a  special  field  agent 
for  the  Michigan  State  Committee.  During  one  of 
his  trips  away  from  Ann  Arbor  he  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter  :  — 

My  dear  Johnny : 

You  have  been  in  my  thoughts  a  good  deal  lately,  and 
here  goes  for  an  Hello  1  I  hope  that  you  fellows  are 
getting  on  splendidly  and  flying  colors  at  top  mast.  I  shall 
always  feel  that  a  large  part  of  my  life  and  energy  was  left  at 
Iowa  City.  It  has  often  seemed  to  me  that  if  I  had  some 
"  dough  "  I  should  like  nothing  better  than  to  get  the  work  at 
S.  U.  I.  well  established.  .  .  .  Johnny,  I  tell  you  that  mar- 
ried life  is  a  great  thing,  if  you  get  a  woman  with  her  heart 
set  on  the  best  things.  My  wife  is  the  most  consecrated  being 
I  have  ever  known,  and  we  are  just  going  to  grow  more  and 
more  in  grace  as  the  days  and  weeks  pass.  .  .  . 

Well,  old  fellow,  I  wish  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation every  possible  blessing,  and  you  too.  Remember  me 
to  Call  and  Fred  Bailey.  Speak  a  kind  word  to  any  of  the 
46 


flowa  ant)  ZlDicbigan  TELnivctslties 

old  friends,  but  most  of  all  to  Mrs.  Brown.     She  is  a  whole- 
hearted, kind,  helpful  woman. 

Good-bye,  Johnny, 

ROSE. 

It  was  during  his  service  at  Ann  Arbor  that  he 
developed  thoroughly  his  system  of  personal  work. 
The  basis  of  his  scheme  was  his  own  personal  re- 
lationship with  men.  The  next  most  important 
factor  was  a  system  of  grouping  a  few  men  for  prayer 
and  the  study  of  the  Bible.  The  secret  of  his 
powei  in  getting  men  to  do  personal  work  was  his 
own  implicit  obedience  to  the  claims  of  Christ,  and 
his  sense  of  obligation  to  tell  other  men  about 
Him.  "  He  showed  the  same  enterprise,"  says  a 
Michigan  man,  "  while  about  his  Father's  business 
that  the  most  successful  man  gives  to  his  personal 
affairs.  It  was  this  diligence  in  his  business  of 
serving  the  Lord  that  shamed  and  at  the  same  time 
inspired  me." 

Undoubtedly  also,  his  genuine  cheerfulness  was  a 
large  factor  in  his  influence  on  his  associates  in 
Christian  work  and  those  for  whom  they  labored. 
Another  student  who  had  known  him  at  the  Summer 
Conference  at  Lake  Geneva  says :  — 

I  might  mention  his  spirit  shown  in  our  camping  at  Lake 
Geneva.  He  was  always  the  warm-hearted,  big-hearted  com- 
panion, ready  to  jump  in  swimming,  ready  to  take  his  Bible 
and  sit  with  you  for  a  warm  heart-to-heart  talk  on  "  better 
things."     His  hearty  laugh  sounded  from  the  ball  field,  from 

47 


An  /l&emoriam 

the  terraces,  from  the  tent,  everywhere,  and  the  fellows  knew 
that  Rose  was  there,  and  where  he  was  there  was  something 
"  doing." 

His  ability  to  approach  men  was  often  noticed  by 
those  who  coveted  the  same  power.  By  making  it 
his  business  to  call  on  many  men  each  week  in  their 
rooms  for  a  chat  of  a  few  minutes'  duration,  this 
characteristic  of  his  work  became  natural  to  him. 
He  went  even  into  places  commonly  closed  to  other 
men,  as  to  the  laboratories  during  class  hours,  and 
into  shops  and  other  places  where  students  congre- 
gated. This  privilege  was  extended  even  to  the  dis- 
secting rooms  of  the  medical  school,  and  it  was  not 
uncommon  for  him  to  look  for  his  man  there  when 
he  could  not  find  him  elsewhere. 

The  administrative  side  of  the  Association  claimed 
much  of  his  attention,  but  he  constantly  sought  to 
diminish  the  number  of  demands  upon  his  time 
within  the  office,  outside  of  his  regular  office  hours, 
in  order  that  he  might  give  the  more  time  to  his  per- 
sonal work,  which  had  now  become  systematic.  Fre- 
quently he  had  as  many  as  forty  extra  engagements 
a  week,  not  counting  the  personal  interviews  by 
appointment.  His  sympathy  and  wisdom  as  a  coun- 
sellor became  so  well  known  that  students  sought 
him  for  interviews  when  they  were  in  trouble  over 
many  questions.     A  fellow  secretary  writes  :  — 

He  was   possessed  in  large   measure  of  that   rare  grace 
of  the  Spirit,   a  genuine   love  for   souls.     When  he  became 
48 


flowa  anfc  /iDicbigan  XHniversittes 

general  secretary  of  the  Association  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  the  rooms  were  soon  filled  with  men  who  came  to 
him  to  talk  about  the  problem  of  personal  righteousness. 
One  day,  being  very  tired,  he  left  word  at  the  Association 
Rooms  that  he  would  take  a  day  off  for  rest.  He  went  to 
his  room  and  prepared  for  a  quiet  afternoon.  Soon  the  door- 
bell rang  and,  one  after  another,  twenty-two  men  called,  hav- 
ing searched  him  out  that  they  might  talk  with  him  about 
Christ.  I  asked  him  how  he  accounted  for  this  unusual 
occurrence.  "  O  I  the  fellows  know  that  I  am  interested  in 
them.  I  have  called  on  all  of  them  in  their  rooms  and 
opened  up  the  subject,  and  now  when  they  are  in  trouble 
they  come  to  me." 

He  was  the  most  constant  personal  worker  I  had  ever 
known.  He  did  not  suddenly  become  interested  in  a  man's 
welfare  when  some  special  meeting  was  approaching,  but  he 
was  always  at  it.     It  was  a  principle  of  his  life. 

At  the  University  of  Michigan  he  set  aside  the  hours  be- 
tween i  and  6  p.m.  for  social  intercourse,  which  with  him 
always  led  up  to  direct  personal  work.  I  once  stopped  with 
him  at  a  large  summer  hotel.  The  first  night  he  put  him- 
self on  speaking  terms  with  the  colored  bell  boys.  The  next 
day  I  saw  him  in  a  secluded  corner  with  them  singing  a 
lively  song  and  dancing  a  jig.  Afterwards  he  talked  with 
each  one  of  them  regarding  his  relation  to  Christ ;  and  when 
he  left,  you  should  have  seen  Rose's  face  as  each  boy  clam- 
bered on  the  platform  of  the  train  to  bid  him  an  affectionate 
farewell  I 

His  responsibility  for  the  men  that  he  helped  did 
not  end  with  the  first  conversation,  for  he  kept  a  little 
note  book  in  which  he  entered  the  names  of  those 
with  whom  he  had  interviews.  To  these  he  wrote 
letters  if  he  was  so  situated  that  he  could  not  call 
49 


Art  fl&emodam 

upon  them.  Early  in  the  fall  of  the  year  when  he 
was  at  Cornell,  he  said,  "  Those  last  days  in  Michi- 
gan were  crowded  so  full  of  other  things  that  I 
could  not  get  time  to  see  all  the  fellows  who  had 
left  their  names  with  me,  saying  that  they  would 
call  at  any  time,  day  or  night,  week  days  or  Sun- 
days, to  talk  over  religious  matters.  There  were 
about  twenty  such  on  my  list  when  I  left.  I  have 
tried  to  keep  track  of  them,  and  am  still  corre- 
sponding with  them." 

During  the  week  of  illness  before  he  was  re- 
moved to  the  hospital,  he  said  to  one  of  the  students 
at  Cornell,  "  My  work  is  not  finished  up  yet.  There 
are  those  twenty  men  who  wanted  interviews  at 
Michigan.  I  have  not  seen  them  all  come  to  Christ 
yet." 

In  making  his  reports  to  the  International  Com- 
mittee, of  work  done  under  the  Michigan  State 
Committee,  there  was  constantly  kept  in  the  fore- 
ground his  ambition  to  lead  young  men  to  an  inti- 
mate relationship  with  Jesus  Christ.  In  one  of 
these  reports  he  wrote,  "  I  wish  that  the  leading  of 
the  Lord's  hand  might  be  seen  as  it  was  by  me 
going  among  the  colleges  of  the  state.  I  wish  that 
scores  of  men  pledged  to  the  Morning  Watch  and 
daily  Bible  study,  increased  numbers  for  Lake 
Geneva,  two  men  won  to  Christ,  and  many  asking 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  do  ?  "  might  speak 
for  the  work  of  this  visit,  rather  than  the  facts  as 

5° 


•ffowa  anb  jfflMcbigan  mntversittes 

they  are  laid  before  you.  Without  exception,  the 
committee  men,  chairman,  officers,. and  members  are 
crying,  "  Come  over  to  Macedonia  and  help  us  to  be 
more  skilful  in  doing  the  Master's  work." 

His  ability  to  discern  real  conditions  and  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  pretensions,  is  shown  by  the 
report  of  a  visit  during  May,  1898,  to  one  of  the 
large  state  universities  in  the  Middle  West.  Under 
the  section  of  the  report  entitled  "  Meetings  held," 
he  said : 

No.  2.  The  president  was  sore  and  sat  on  nearly  every- 
thing, but  we  got  them  committed  to  organize  committee 
work,  regular  cabinet  meetings,  and  more  of  God  and  prayer, 
and  less  of  man  and  "  what  I  think  "  in  the  work. 

No.  3.  Conference  with  chairman  to  outline  work  and 
with to  cheer  him  up  and  call  him  down. 

The  trouble  here  is  that  everything  else  comes  before  the 
Lord's  work.  The  men  do  not  feel  any  responsibility.  I 
asked  the  president  to  go  to  the  men  and  pray  with  them 
over  it.     He  said,  "  I'll  think  about  it." 

Rose  was  married  to  Miss  Suzetta  Rosenblatt  on 
January  3,  1898,  during  his  first  year  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan.  He  describes  the  first  sight  of 
his  future  wife  in  the  following  language  :  — 

"  The  first  time  I  ever  saw  Mrs.  Rose  was  out 
in  one  of  the  poorest  sections  of  Beloit.  I  was 
walking  out  that  way  and  saw  a  neat  little  cart 
in  front  of  an  old  house  or  shanty.  Wondering 
what  that  smart  turn-out  was  doing  at  such  a  place, 
5i 


•ffn  /IDemoriam 

I  went  up  to  the  window  and  looked  in,  and  there 
was  '  Zet '  down  on  the  floor  in  the  midst  of  a  lot  of 
children,  rolling  the  oranges  around  that  she  had 
brought  them.  I  thought  to  myself  that  I  would 
like  to  know  that  girl,  and  sought  an  opportunity  to 
get  acquainted  with  her."  Throughout  the  few 
years  of  married  life,  even  during  the  months  of 
most  serious  illness  of  his  wife,  near  the  time  of  his 
death,  the  deepest  affection  marked  their  life  to- 
gether. Mrs.  Rose  entered  most  heartily  and 
prayerfully  into  the  inner  life  of  his  work,  and  ac- 
companied him  many  times  on  his  tours,  going  even 
so  far  as  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  His  letters,  written 
during  the  years  of  travel  as  an  International  Secre- 
tary, are  filled  with  most  tender  references  to  her 
great  devotion  to  him  and  his  work. 


52 


ffail  Uerm  among  Western  Colleges 


CHAPTER    IV 

A  FALL  TERM  AMONG  THE  COLLEGES  OF 
THE  WEST 

THE  call  from  the  General  Secretaryship  at 
the  University  of  Michigan  to  the  position 
of  Student  Secretary  of  the  International 
Committee  for  the  West,  came  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence of  Rose's  work.  At  no  point  in  his  life 
did  his  spirit  of  humility  shine  more  brilliantly  than 
now,  when  he  was  confronted  with  the  largest 
opportunity  for  Christian  service  which  could  be 
afforded  to  any  man.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  one 
of  his  fellow-secretaries,  he  said :  "  The  Inter- 
national Committee  must  be  hard  up  for  men.  It 
is  a  big  come-down  from  Michener  to  common  clay 
like  me."  The  February  issue  of  The  Intercollegian 
for  1901,  commenting  on  his  death,  says:  "The 
place  of  responsibility,  which  to  some  might  have 
been  cause  for  pride,  was  to  him  a  source  of  con- 
stant humility,  because  he  thought  he  had  so  little 
to  offer  for  so  large  a  work." 

Nevertheless  his  personal  characteristics  and  his 
peculiarly  valuable  training  as  General  Secretary  for 
three  years  at  two  large  state  universities,  fitted  him 
preeminently  for  the  important  post  of  travelling 
secretary.  Henceforth  he  was  to  be  an  apostle  to 
53 


Un  /IDemoriam 

the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  Western  States, 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific  Coast. 
Little  did  he,  or  those  who  took  the  responsibility  of 
calling  him,  realize  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  the 
providential  character  of  the  call  or  the  stored-up 
spiritual  energies  which  were  to  be  released  through- 
out the  student  life  of  the  West.  Much  of  the 
material  which  follows  has  been  taken  from  the 
letters  addressed  by  Rose  to  his  fellow-secretaries 
in  the  office  of  the  International  Committee,  or  to 
those  who,  like  himself,  were  privileged  to  travel 
among  the  colleges  of  other  sections  of  the  North 
American  continent. 

To  a  friend  who  had  given  his  life  to  foreign 
missions  in  Africa,  he  sends  the  following  note 
early  in  his  first  month  of  service : 

September  I,  1899,  on  the  train. 

My  dear  Wilmer : 

It  has  been  some  time  since  your  good  letter  came.  I  pray 
that  the  dear  Father  may  have  His  way  in  your  life,  and  that 
through  your  devotion  and  consecration,  many  of  the  precious 
souls  in  dark  Africa  may  be  won  to  Jesus  Christ  as  their 
Saviour  and  Lord.  May  these  last  few  months  of  this 
century  witness  a  marvelous  manifestation  of  the  King's 
power  throughout  the  world.  He  grows  dearer  every  day  as 
he  leads  us  through  privileges  and  difficulties.  Following 
Him,  we  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture.  How  we  long  for 
power  to  present  the  claims  of  the  dear  Master  in  such  a  way 
as  to  influence  those  whom  we  meet.  I  feel  very  needy 
myself.  Surely  in  this  great  Western  College  field  there  is 
need   of   a  man  through  whom  the  spirit  of  God  has  free 

54 


jfall  Tlerm  amona  TKIlestern  Colleges 

course.  I  must  be  very  humble  and  cultivate  a  more  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  Himself.  .  .  .  Charles  Tompkins  is 
President  of  the  Band  (at  the  University  of  Michigan),  and 
so  we  can  be  sure  of  good  work  there  this  year.  Jno.  Raab 
is  making  a  fine  President  for  the  Association.  We  feel  that 
he  and  McCreary  will  make  a  good  team.  After  all,  the  only 
good  teams  are  those  that  lean  heavily  on  the  everlasting 
arms. 

This  fall  we  are  laying  special  stress  on  the  need  of 
spiritual  awakenings  in  our  colleges.  The  Lord  give  me 
grace  to  speak  and  counsel  with  awful  power.  Oh,  that  these 
students  may  be  won  to  own  Him  Lord  of  Lords.  My  heart 
is  almost  breaking  over  these  lost  sheep,  but  His  grace  is 
sufficient  even  for  these. 

Come  in  and  see  us.  We  are  a  long  ways  apart,  but  it  is 
only  a  little  way  "by  the  throne."  Remember  the  words  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you,  not  as  the  world  giveth  give  I  unto 
you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  nor  let  it  be  afraid." 
Prayerfully  and  earnestly, 

ROSE. 

From  September  20  to  22  he  visited  the  State 
University  of  Kansas  at  Lawrence.  In  making  his 
report  to  Mr.  H.  P.  Andersen,  at  the  office  of  the 
International  Committee  in  New  York,  he  names  as 
the  result  of  his  visit : 

Started  union  Bible  classes. 

Got  Advisory  Board  to  raise  needed  money. 

Got  several  men  to  make  a  scientific  fight  to  overcome. 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  Executive  Secretary  at 
the  office  of  the  International  Committee  to  write 
letters    introducing    travelling    secretaries    to    the 

55 


Un  fl&emoriam 

officers  of  the  associations  to  be  visited.  Mr.  An- 
dersen wrote  to  Rose  early  in  September,  submitting 
to  him  a  copy  of  the  proposed  letter.  The  follow- 
ing reply  was  sent : 

On  the  train,  Champaign  to  Chicago, 
September  25. 
My  dear  Andersen : 

Glad  to  get  your  letter.  In  regard  to  the  office  announce- 
ment,—  that's  all  right.  I  suppose  the  "  favored  in  securing" 
and  "  successful  experience"  go  with  the  job,  and  so  I  regis- 
ter no  protest.  We  had  a  marked  blessing  at  Champaign, 
6  or  7  men  owning  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord  for  the 
first  time.  Dillon  is  a  brick,  —  General  Secretary  there. 
They're  counting  upon  about  350  intercollegians,  125  men  in 
Bible  study,  and  an  "  aggressive,  progressive,  intelligent, 
habitual,  personal  work.     Go  to  now !  " 

This  will  be  a  week  of  great  privilege  and  great  responsi- 
bility.    Come,  spirit,  come. 

His  comment  on  his  visit  to  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Lansing,  Michigan,  September  27-28,  is  : 
11  Helped  to  clean  out  some  lives."  From  this  point 
he  proceeded  on  his  westward  tour.  At  his  own 
college  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  he  writes  :  "  Stirred  up 
a  hornets'  nest  in  one  of  the  fraternities,  which  is 
having  the  effect  of  cleaning  things  out,"  He 
speaks  further  of  this  visit  in  the  following  letter  to 
Mr.  Andersen; 

Lincoln,  Nebraska,  October  16,  '99. 
You  need  not  be  told  that  your  letter  was  welcome.  .  .  . 
Since  I  have  seen   you,  have  been  in  Beloit.      Three  men 

56 


ffall  Uerm  amona  Western  Colleges 

accepted  Christ  there.     Bible  study  has  more  than  doubled 
over  last  year. 

At  Madison  Sunday,  two  men  accepted  Christ,  and  nearly 
fifty  enlisted  for  Bible  study. 

The  progress  here  at  the  University  (Lincoln)  has  been 
very  marked,  and  we  have  more  than  ioo  men  in  Bible 
classes,  and  are  still  enrolling  them.  To-morrow  we  have  a 
committeemen's  tea  and  a  gospel  service.  Haven't  had 
time  to  play  marbles  yet,  and  so  my  reports  are  still  back. 
Ask  White  to  remember  me  in  prayer. 
Cordially, 

ROSE. 

Rose  spent  the  days  from  October  23  to  25  at  the 
State  University  of  Missouri,  situated  at  Columbia. 
This  visit  seems  to  have  taken  strong  hold  on  his 
sympathies,  for  he  wrote  an  unusually  full  report 
and  accompanied  it  by  a  long  letter : 

Columbia,  October  25. 
My  dear  Andersen  : 

Wish  we  could  be  together  for  an  afternoon  about  now. 
Would  like  a  good  long  talk  with  you.  How  one  craves 
power  in  the  face  of  all  this  indifference  and  willfulness  and 
selfishness  and  sin,  —  and  yet  at  the  same  time  such  ready 
response  to  the  claims  of  the  Master.  Oh  for  power  to  hold 
up  the  Christ  with  living  power !  Oh  that  this  work  may  be 
done  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Eternal  One  I  We  crave  the 
free  course  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  us.  Have  just  come 
from  the  local  chapter  of  our  fraternity  —  good  fellows  —  but 
without  much  care  for  the  Will  of  God  concerning  their 
lives.  The  hope  is  that  the  presentation  of  higher  ideals  may 
drive  them  to  sober  reflection. 

There  has  been  such  an  impetus  given  to  the  work  out 

57 


•ffn  /ftemortam 

here  that  it  is  steadily  advancing  this  year.  Surely  Mich, 
did  a  wonderful  work.  All  these  men  out  here  love  him.  I 
am  thankful,  'though,  that  they  seem  to  have  hearts  large 
enough  to  take  in  two. 

Surely  this  work  is  one  of  great  privilege.  It  is  rich  in 
opportunities  to  talk  with  men  about  the  mission-field,  perhaps 
not  in  a  set  address,  but  in  every  school  there  is  a  chance  to 
present  some  striking  evidence  of  missionary  work,  and  its 
claims  on  college  men.  We  meet  to-night  some  earnest  men 
who  want  to  be  willing  to  go,  and  do,  and  be  what  He  would 
have  them  be. 

To-night  we  have  a  Gospel  service.  It  looks  like  rain, 
but  my  faith  is  strong  that  some  men  will  be  saved. 

This  work  surely  calls  for  a  man  of  power  and  grace. 
Pray  God  that  I  may  be  such  a  man.  It  has  never  for 
a  moment  ceased  to  seem  strange  to  me  that  such  a  trust  has 
been  given  to  me.  Sometimes  when  I  see  the  greatness  of 
the  opportunity  I  could  wish  myself  back  at  Ann  Arbor, 
but  I  am  sure  that  God  will  give  needed  grace.  How 
I  long  to  burn  for  Him  so  brightly  that  men  cannot  resist 
His  claim.     "  Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit." 

Cordially, 

ROSE. 

His  report  of  the  results  of  these  three  visits 
illustrates  some  of  the  obstacles  which  he  en- 
countered day  by  day,  as  he  went  from  college  to 
college  :  "  Notable  answer  to  prayer.  Meeting  was 
called  for  seven  to  eight  o'clock.  At  six  it  began  to 
rain  and  kept  it  up.  Half-past  six  to  seven  a  meet- 
ing of  Dormitory  Club  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  was 
called,  and  to  cap  the  climax  a  football  demonstra- 

58 


ffall  Uerm  amono  Mestern  Colleges 

tion,  on  account  of  a  great  victory,  was  announced 
in  the  same  room  in  which  the  meeting  was  to  be 
held.  Yet  men  came  —  one  hundred  —  and  five  or 
six  made  Jesus  King."     He  then  wrote  : 

i.     Interested  some  athletes  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

2.  Talked  Association  work  to  Beta  Theta  Pi  Fraternity. 

3.  Removed   opposition    to   General    Secretary's  playing 
football. 

4.  Some   men   quit  profanity.     This  was   very  common 
here. 

5.  A  doubter  joined  the  church. 

6.  A  man  thought  to  be  an  infidel  comes  out  clear  cut  for 
Christ,  not  one  of  the  five  or  six  before  mentioned. 

From  Columbia  he  went  to  Westminster  College 
at  Fulton,  Mo.,  where  he  spent  October  26th  and 
27th.  It  is  apparent  that  on  this  occasion  his  knowl- 
edge of  fraternity  life  was  enabling  him  to  come  into 
social  relationship  with  many  men  who  were  not 
associated  with  the  leaders  of  Christian  work.  His 
comments  on  this  visit  were : 

Helped  some  men  to  begin  to  struggle. 
Spent  much  time  in  interview  with  fraternity  men. 
Two  out  of  three  fraternities  here  want  their  men  to  be 
Christians. 

From  Fulton  he  went  to  Fayette,  Missouri,  the 
seat  of  Central  College.  At  this  point  the  religious 
work  seems  to  have  been  in  fairly  good  condition, 
for  he  closes  with  this  characteristic  thought.  "  An 
Association  with  a  good  record.  Every  year  they 
59 


1Fn  flDemoriam 

lead  several  to  Christ.  Though  the  organization  is 
not  the  best,  they  get  things  done.  They're  praying 
men." 

On  October  30th  he  visited  Warrensburg  Normal 
School  at  Warrensburg,  Missouri,  where  as  a  result 
of  his  work  eleven  men  professed  conversion.  His 
comment  is,  "  The  Lord  blessed  us  richly  here. 
Eleven  men  made  their  first  confession ;  some  other 
men  have  decided  to  be  clean  men.  God  worked 
in  mighty  power  and  kindled  the  purpose  of  aggres- 
sive work." 

Kirksville,  Mo.,  November  1. 
My  dear  Andersen : 

It  is  always  a  privilege  to  find  a  few  minutes  which  can  be 
used  in  writing  letters,  and  especially  when  a  fellow's  heart  is 
filled  with  longings.  This  morning  my  heart  reaches  out 
with  great  yearning  for  these  college  men  here  in  the  West. 
Oh  for  the  power  of  God  with  great  fullness ! 

This  campaign  of  ten  days  has  been  a  "  fright "  for  heavy 
work.  Late  nights  and  night  riding  because  of  long  distances 
to  travel  have  characterized  the  trip,  but  surely  God  has  been 
blessing  the  feeble  efforts.  How  it  overwhelms  one  —  the 
great  sense  of  need.  Oh  to  be  nothing,  in  the  sense  of  being 
humble,  that  the  dear  Christ  may  be  all.  I  pray  that  this 
hated  self  may  be  crucified  with  Christ,  that  there  may  be  a 
new  power  in  His  service.  Surely  I  have  great  cause  for  lov- 
ing Him,  more  than  ever  before,  for  during  these  days  three 
Associations  have  taken  up  the  cycle  of  Bible  study  for  the 
first  time  and  each  has  begun  with  a  good  number.  Mem- 
bership work  has  received  an  impetus  and  some  new  members 
secured ;  larger  policies  have  been  adopted.  Associations  are 
to  be  represented  at  the  Convention,  even  though  it's  a  long 
60 


jfali  Uerm  among  Western  Colleges 

way  off  from  most  of  the  colleges ;  much  interest  has  been 
manifested  in  the  missionary  work,  and  several  men  are  just 
ready  to  give  themselves.  Several  have  dropped  profanity 
and  dishonesty,  and  scores,  I  believe,  impurity.  Some  have 
taken  up  the  quiet  hour  observance,  and  best  of  all,  a  score 
of  men  have  made  Jesus  king.  I  tremble  almost  when  I 
think  of  the  possibilities.  Have  I  done  what  I  could  ?  We 
lost  some  anxious  men  at  Columbia  and  also  at  Warrensburg 
through  pressure  of  other  engagements,  and  also  through 
lack  of  organized  personal  work.  I  covet  more  and  more  a 
place  in  the  prayers  of  those  who  live  close  to  God.  Enlist 
some  of  the  men  now  as  I  go  to  these  conventions. 

On  the  train,  November  n. 
My  dear  Andersen : 

Letters  from  "  The  Office  "  always  bring  renewed  courage. 
To  say  I  am  glad  to  hear  from  you  is  putting  it  mildly. 

These  few  days  since  last  Saturday  have  been  very  busy, 
yet  very  full  of  blessed  experiences.  Sunday  night  at  Ames, 
fourteen  men  accepted  Christ,  and  many  more  dropped  some- 
thing from  their  life,  and  still  others  began  to  fight.  These 
days  were  full  of  interviews,  and  surely  this  is  a  fruitful  part  of 
the  work.  The  General  Secretary  has  the  confidence- of  the 
men  and  is  very  much  esteemed  and  loved.  They  need  such 
men  at  Ames,  for  gambling,  profanity  and  other  evils  are 
there,  not  open  as  they  have  been,  for  the  boys  are  making  a 
heroic  fight.  Just  think  of  boosting  the  membership  from 
seventy  to  two  hundred  and  thirty  in  one  year.  It  is  the 
Lord's  work  and  marvellous  in  our  eyes.  I  neglected  to  say 
that  during  Monday  three  more  accepted  Christ. 

Tuesday  I  went  to  Grinnell.  That  night  we  dwelt  on 
personal  problems  and  two  more  men  accepted  Christ,  and  a 
large  number  of  whipped  men  declared  that  by  the  grace  of 
God  they  would  be  free.  I  was  flooded  with  interviews,  and 
compelled  to  stay  over  till  Thursday  evening.  Some  of  it 
61 


Hn  flDemortam 

■was  heart-touching.  Oh  for  the  mind  of  Christ !  How  his 
loving  heart  must  long  for  these  fellows  who  have  been  fight- 
ing losing  battles.  Oh  for  the  energy  of  Paul,  the  fearlessness 
of  Isaiah,  and  the  love  of  John  ! 

These  deep  experiences  through  which  he  had 
been  passing  in  his  evangelistic  work  led  him  to  a 
most  serious  self-examination.  Rose  did  not  spare 
himself  in  these  hours  when  he  brought  into  review 
his  own  ambitions  and  the  state  of  his  own  heart, 
for  he  realized  that  virtue  must  go  out  of  the  man 
who  was  to  lead  others  to  a  Saviour  Who  could 
break  the  power  of  sin.  After  spending  three  days 
from  the  24th  to  the  26th  of  November  at  the  State 
University  of  Iowa,  where  he  had  formerly  served  as 
General  Secretary  and  where  eight  or  nine  were  con- 
verted, "  one  not  clean  cut,"  he  sent  his  report  to 
the  office  in  New  York  with  this  footnote : 

One  marked  result  of  this  visit  is  the  consciousness  that 
I've  a  battle  on.  I  have  got  to  be  more  humble.  I  must  get 
low  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 

On  the  day  following  this  visit  he  wrote  to  a  trav- 
elling secretary  in  the  East : 

I  pray  that  through  you  he  will  burn  a  path  of  light  in 
the  Eastern  colleges.  It  is  a  great  privilege  to  remember 
each  other  before  God  in  prayer.  If  there  is  any  one  thing  I 
covet  from  my  friends  it  is  that  they  will  make  mention  of  my 
needs  before  the  Heavenly  Father.  The  mean  little  tempta- 
tions, insidious,  get  hold  on  a  fellow  before  he  knows  it,  pride 
and  vainglory  and  satisfaction  over  things  accomplished. 
Some  way  these  things  eat  their  way  in,  and  we  are  prone  to 
62 


ffali  Uerm  among  TPdlestern  Colleges 

covet  the  praise  of  men  rather  than  the  praise  of  God.  Oh 
for  grace  to  keep  very  low  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  1  We 
meet  these  dear  struggling  fellows  so  often,  men  who  admit 
that  what  they  are  working  for  is  the  approval  of  man. 
Rather  may  we  hear  His  "  Well  done  "  when  we  have  finished 
the  work  in  the  different  colleges.  Oh  to  be  a  blessing  to 
Him  1  Oh  that  from  our  lives  He  may  get  glory !  Oh  that 
you  even  more  than  heretofore  may  be  His  messenger  among 
the  more  indifferent  Eastern  schools,  empowered  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  do  the  "  greater  things  than  these." 

God  has  been  very  gracious  to  me.  It  seems  wonderful 
that  He  will  use  such  poor,  weak  service  in  saving  men  and 
building  them  up. 

It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  remember  my  mother  in  your 
letter.  But  Mrs.  Rose,  my  Mrs.  Rose,  does  not  gain  as  fast 
as  we  had  thought  she  would.  She  is  very  brave  and  cheery 
though. 

Cordially  and  lovingly, 

ROSE. 

So  stirred  was  he  by  this  visit  at  Iowa  City,  that 
he  wrote  also  to  Mr.  Andersen  in  New  York  on  the 
same  date : 

One  stubborn  fellow  promised  to  accept  Christ  inside  of 
the  next  few  days.  And  now  for  the  power  of  God  here.  Oh 
that  He  would  save  some  I  I  find  a  peculiar  joy  in  reporting 
things  accomplished.  I  want  you  to  pray  that  I  may  care 
nothing  for  the  praise  of  men,  only  by  their  advice  to  be  led 
to  serve  Him  better.  I  am  determined  that  my  life  may  con- 
stantly grow  brighter  and  deeper,  that  through  me  He  may 
be  glorified.  How  much  help  it  would  give  me  if  I  could  be 
with  you  and  Mott,  and  Taylor,  and  Beaver,  and  Hicks  for  a 
few  days  1     Yet  I  can  be  with  Him  who  is  not  very  far  at  any 

63 


Un  flDemortam 

time  from  those  who  love  Him.     "  With  Thee  is  the  fountain 
of  life :  in  Thy  light  shall  we  see  light." 
Cordially, 

ROSE. 

It  pained  Rose  to  find  in  a  college  that  a  "  gap  " 
existed  between  the  Christian  and  the  non-Christian 
men.  So  much  did  he  believe  that  the  Christian 
men  should  mix  up  in  student  life  that  a  favorite 
subject  of  discussion  in  Cabinet  meeting  was  how 
the  Christian  men  might  be  induced  to  enter  ath- 
letics. 

On  the  8th  of  December  he  visited  a  college  in 
South  Dakota  and  reported  his  observations  in  a 
note  to  a  friend : 

Here  in  the  face  of  unfavorable  conditions,  we  men  are 
praying  for  the  power  of  God  to  do  His  work  to-day.  There 
is  a  great  gap  between  the  Christians  and  those  who  are  not 
Christians,  and  they  don't  get  near  each  other,  but  we  are 
trusting  Him  and  fully  believing  that  He  will  break  the  barrier 
away  to-day  and  get  glory  to  Himself.  We  have  a  men's 
meeting  this  evening,  and  it  is  around  this  that  our  prayers  are 
gathering.  I  trust  there  will  be  joy  among  the  angels  to- 
night, because  of  some  who  are  saved  from  sin  through 
Jesus  Christ.     How  wonderful  is  His  working  ! 

While  serving  men  so  constantly  as  he  was  able 
to  do  through  his  travelling  work,  Rose  was  quick 
to  recognize  the  value  of  a  friend's  counsel,  espe- 
cially if  it  was  sincerely  expressed  and  intended  to 
make  him  more  efficient  as  an  advocate  in  Christian 
work.  Rose  counted  as  one  of  his  dearest  friends 
64 


fall  Uerm  among  Western  Colleges 

Mr.  S.  M.  Sayford,  who  for  many  years  had  been  en- 
gaged in  evangelistic  work  among  the  college  men 
of  the  North  American  continent.  On  the  8th  of 
December,  while  at  Huron,  South  Dakota,  he  sent 
a  letter  to  Sayford  : 

My  dear  Uncle  Sam  : 

Let  me  call  you  Uncle  Sam,  or  if  you  won't  let  me,  I  can 
do  it  anyway  with  all  this  distance  between  us.  Your  photo- 
graph has  called  up  a  great  many  happy  experiences,  and  one 
in  particular  which  I  shall  always  prize,  —  the  time  you 
warned  me  so  carefully  at  Geneva,  and  then  told  me  that 
you  loved  me.  Your  heart  is  large  enough  to  take  in  a  great 
many  men,  but  I  am  mighty  glad  that  I  am  one  who  is  in  it. 
...  I  covet  a  place  in  your  prayer  life.  How  we  need 
power  1  Cordially, 

H.  W.  ROSE. 

Rose  found  it  increasingly  difficult  to  report  the 
facts  about  his  own  work  to  the  office  in  New  York, 
for  just  making  the  record  seemed  to  bring  tempta- 
tion to  pride  into  his  life.  After  his  work  on  the 
9th  and  10th  of  December  at  the  South  Dakota 
Agricultural  College,  Brookings,  South  Dakota,  where 
ten  men  accepted  Christ,  he  wrote  :  "  I  always  hate 
to  report  numbers,  because  it  gives  me  a  sense  of 
satisfaction  which  I  wish  was  not  in  my  life.  I  had 
almost  said  I  wouldn't  for  a  time." 

December  nth  and  12th  were  spent  at  Dakota 
Univ  ersity,  with  these  results  : 

I.  Nine  men  became  Christians.  One  of  these  is  a 
"  backslider  reclaimed."     God's  grace  is  wonderful. 

65 


tfn  /iDemotiam 

2.  Some  men  gave  in  their  names  as  purposing  to  join 

the  church. 

3.  Some,  about  eight,  joined  the  Association. 

4.  Fifteen  pledged  to  join  Bible  study. 

5.  Several  Christian  men  began  to  fight  against  besetting 

sin. 

6.  Personal  workers  enthused. 

7.  I  am  tired  after  such  a  siege. 

Following  this  fruitful  visit,  he  wrote  on  the  13th 
of  December  from  Sioux  Falls : 

My  dear  Andersen : 

I  think  my  report  says  enough  to  show  the  condition  here, 
but  it  does  not  show  the  joy  and  gratitude  in  my  own  life 
which  I  want  to  express  to  you.  During  these  days  He  has 
been  teaching  me  some  great  lessons,  and  I  am  sure  my  life 
has  deepened  during  the  times  we  have  met  in  communion 
and  prayer  this  fall.  In  some  way  the  King  and  the  beauty 
of  his  life  are  coming  to  mean  more  to  me.  Oh  for  the  mind 
which  was  in  Christ  Jesus !  I  have  prayed  Him  that  this 
trip  might  burn  a  path  of  light  in  these  colleges  out  here,  and 
I  feel  that  He  has  heard  my  prayer  and  the  prayers  of  others 
who  have  been  waiting  on  Him. 

The  thermometer  is  way,  way  down,  but  the  love  of 
God  still  melts  men's  hearts. 

Cordially  and  prayerfully, 

ROSE. 

His  enthusiasm  for  his  work  seemed  to  have  no 
bounds,  for  on  the  14th  and  15th  of  December  he 
visited  another  large  college  in  South  Dakota,  and 
reports  five  conversions.  "  I  hope  these  men  will 
hold  out.  They  are  the  '  best  ones  '  of  the  college, 
swell,  and  even  \  sporty,'  but  they  seem  to  mean 
66 


jfali  Uerm  amona  Mestern  Colleges 

business.  The  line  of  cleavage  has  been  very  dis- 
tinct here,  and  we  praise  God  for  the  breaking 
down  of  the  barrier.  We  interested  the  athletes 
surely  in  the  work." 

Again,  on  the  16th  and  17th  he  visited  the  State 
University  of  South  Dakota  at  Vermillion,  and  re- 
ported: 

Seven   conversions.     Hope   they  will   stick.     Some  were 
football  men.     It  was  a  manifestation  of  divine  power. 
Some  men  joined  Bible  study. 
One  or  two  pledged  to  join  the  church. 
I  hope  our  meetings  resulted  in 

(a)  More  Sabbath  observance. 

(b)  Less  profanity. 

(c)  Less  gambling. 

Urge  to   see  that   these  men  are  taken  care  of. 

The  fellows,  our  Christian  men,  have  little  conception 
of  the  worth  of  saving  a  soul.  It  is  so  in  half  of  the 
colleges. 

The  stupendous  work  of  the  fall  was  now  near  at 
an  end.  He  had  returned  to  his  home  at  Evanston, 
Illinois,  when  he  wrote  for  tickets  to  be  used  on  his 
next  trip,  and  apologized  for  adding  the  burden  of 
procuring  them  to  the  force  in  the  office  : 

Evanston,  December  21,  '99. 

My  dear  Andersen  : 

Sorry  to  put  this  burden  on  you,  but  I  am  unequal  to  it 
just  now  because  there  are  two  Jumbos  on  my  hands :  one, 
an  examination  for  a  degree  from  Beloit  (don't  mention  this), 
and  another,  the  effort  to  fill  our  house  with  sunshine.     Mrs. 

67 


IFn  /IDemoriam 

Rose  was  on  her  back  when  I  reached  home,  but  is  better 
now,  and  to-night  we  have  had  a  very  pleasant  evening  to- 
gether. So  I  have  had  to  be  housemaid,  nurse,  and  cook, 
also  a  student  at  the  same  time. 

This  critical  condition  of  his  wife's  health,  dis- 
covered on  his  return  from  the  long  trip  of  the  fall, 
led  him  to  consider  a  new  policy  for  the  winter. 
The  life  of  a  travelling  secretary  is  a  militant  life, 
making  serious  demands  on  physical  strength.  But 
his  personal  physical  condition  seems  not  to  have 
been  considered  by  him.  His  whole  thought  was 
for  his  wife.  The  strain  upon  her  caused  by  the 
long  absence,  led  him  to  write  to  New  York  as 
follows : 

Evanston,  December  23. 
My  dear  Andersen : 

The  writing  of  this  letter  is  costing  me  no  little  pain.  I 
have  thought  it  over,  and  talked  it  over  with  the  doctor  and 
with  friends,  and  prayed  over  it,  and  always  arrive  at  the  one 
decision,  that  under  the  circumstances,  a  trip  of  more  than 
eight  or  ten  days  is  impossible  for  the  present.  Mrs.  Rose 
was  on  her  back  when  I  reached  home  last  Tuesday,  and  is 
practically  there  still.  Leaving  her  for  a  period  of  three 
weeks  or  more  is  out  of  the  question  just  now. 

It  takes  courage  to  write  these  facts,  knowing  well  as  I 
do  how  much  is  lacking  in  me  as  a  secretary  of  the  committee, 
this  happening  as  it  does  thus  early  in  my  work,  but  it  is  a 
duty  and  I  must  be  true  to  it.  I  am  asking  the  Lord  to 
make  it  up  by  the  gift  of  special  power.  ...  It  takes  lots  of 
faith  and  courage  when  the  sky  is  so  dark,  but  underneath 
are  the  everlasting  arms. 

Cordially  and  prayerfully, 

ROSE. 

68 


jfall  XTerm  among  Western  Colleges 

His  last  letter  to  New  York  was  addressed  to 
Mr.  Henry  White,  Secretary  in  charge  of  the 
office: 

Chicago,  December  23,  1899. 
My  dear  white  Henry  White : 

We  want  you  to  do  up  a  job  lot  of  business  for  us.  We 
want  to  wish  everybody  in  the  office  a  Merry  Christmas  that 
we  ought  to  wish  a  Merry  Christmas.  That  includes  Mott, 
Andersen,  yourself,  Fahs,  and  Turner,  and  anybody  else  who 
ought  to  come  in  with  this  job  lot.  Now  be  sure  and  do  it 
up  brown  for  us.  A  warm  Merry  Christmas  for  you  all. 
Cordially  yours, 

ROSE. 


69 


Un  ZlDemoriam 


CHAPTER   V 

WINTER  AND   SPRING   AMONG   THE    COLLEGES   OF 
THE    WEST 

AFTER  a  few  days  of  rest  with  his  wife  at 
his  home  in  Evanston,  Rose  started  out 
with  fresh  vigor  for  the  campaign  of  the 
winter.  He  proceeded  at  once  to  North  Dakota, 
and  began  work  at  Fargo  College,  January  5  to 
8,  from  which  point  he  reported  seven  conver- 
sions of  men  who  "  told  me  they  would  be  Chris- 
tians, and  they  all  intend  to  be,  but  two  are  nearly 
giving  out.     The  devil  is  at  work  there." 

The  consciousness  that  the  devil  was  not  only 
aggressive,  but  persistent,  in  his  efforts  to  command 
the  thoughts  and  time  of  college  men,  led  him  to 
dedicate  his  life  anew  to  the  work  of  breaking  down 
the  power  of  evil  in  the  colleges  which  he  was  to 
visit.  This  conviction  gave  a  ring,  and  an  attack 
to  his  addresses,  and  a  sincerity  to  his  personal 
interviews,  which  continued  to  result  in  large  ac- 
cessions to  the  churches  of  college  towns,  and  the 
beginning  of  a  winning  battle  in  the  heart  of  many 
men.  He  comments  on  the  fact  that  three  men 
who  accepted  Christ  at  the  North  Dakota  State 
University,  during  January  8-10,  did  so  in  personal 
interview,  since  no  opportunity  could  be  found  for 
70 


Winter  anfc  Spdna 

a  decision  meeting.  At  this  point  he  said  also, 
that  eleven  men  publicly  resolved  to  join  the  church 
immediately,  and  adds  the  significant  phrase,  "  some 
will."  "  This  is  surely  a  fertile  field,  and  it  seems 
to  me  a  very  important  one.  They  need  much 
help.  They  begged  me,  really  begged  me,  to  hurry 
back." 

At  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  Illinois,  he  spent 
January  13-15,  and  in  writing,  commented  on  the 
great  blessing  which  God  had  given  him,  in  bring- 
ing five  or  six  men  into  the  Christian  life,  and  two 
into  church  membership.  "  Many  men  have  said, 
1  By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  be  a  pure  man.'  The 
members  of  the  Beta  Fraternity  have  knocked  down 
old  traditions,  and  come  up  higher.  There  are 
practically  no  difficulties  here,  if  the  men  will  work 
and  pray.  Lack  of  concern  for  fellow-students  is 
the  great  hindrance.  Nobody  cares  much  how 
these  men  are  living.  The  men  have  been  im- 
pressed by  the  way  God  used  our  humble  efforts." 

His  righteous  indignation  was  aroused  after  one 
of  these  visits,  regarding  which  he  wrote  : 

Three  or  four  men  accepted  Christ,  in  the  meetings  of  Jan- 
uary 19-20.  The  leaders  have  been  stirred  up ;  some  have 
begun  to  fight.  It  wore  me  out,  such  self-satisfaction  and 
esteem,  and  such  indifference.  They  need  an  Isaiah  or  an 
Apostle  Paul  to  get  them  to  doing  something.  The  mem- 
bership is  very  unsatisfactory,  fifty  in  all ;  should  be  one  hun- 
dred. We  started  a  campaign.  Regarding  religious 
meetings,    he   said,    "  Weak    here    too ;    average  attendance 

71 


Hn  /iDemoriam 

about  twenty,  and  the  same  twenty  all  the  time.  We  recom- 
mend '  work.' " 

In  a  letter  written  on  the  train,  January  27,  to 
Mr.  Andersen,  he  describes  a  college,  where  he  was 
entertained  in  one  of  the  leading  fraternities,  and 
where,  as  a  result  of  the  splendid  fellowship  had 
with  one  of  the  men,  the  entire  chapter  was  stirred 
to  its  depths.  One  of  the  men,  who  was  the  best 
athlete  in  the  State  Athletic  Association,  and  another 
led  into  the  Christian  life  during  his  stay  there, 
laid  siege  to  the  others  after  he  had  gone.  He 
says  :  "  One  night  they  talked  and  prayed  with  three 
of  the  fellows  until  1  o'clock,  when  all  three  ac- 
cepted Christ.  At  Lincoln,  too,  a  couple  of  ath- 
letes said,  ' I  will  try  to  be  a  Christian.'  Four 
entered  Bible  study,  and  some  have  had  their  con- 
science quickened  to  the  need  of  the  battle.  Surely 
God  is  good.     How  ready  to  answer  prayer."  "  And 

then  at  we  were  absolutely  helpless  in  the 

face  of  the  indifference  and  selfishness,  the  will- 
fulness and  '  bravado.'  It  was  heart-breaking.  One 
realized  in  a  small  way,  the  compassion  in  the  heart 
of  the  loving  Christ,  as  He  looked  upon  the  multi- 
tudes scattered  abroad  without  a  shepherd.     Three 

men  at and  two  at said  they  would  be 

Christian  men,  and  about  two  in  each  place  entered 
Bible  study.  It  was  sad  to  talk  to  a  hundred  men 
earnestly,  and  then  find  only  two  for  Bible  study." 

At  this  point  in  his  travel,  he  recorded  in  his  note 
72 


Winter  an&  Spring 

book  this  prayer :  "  Dear  Father,  may  there  be  no 
moment  to-day  in  my  life  in  which  Thy  love  shall 
not  be  evident.  Help  me  to-day  to  do  what  Thou 
wouldst  have  me.  Oh,  help  me  to  follow  on  closely 
and  energetically,  with  Thy  love  radiant  in  my  life. 

Amen." 

After  a  visit  to  Purdue  University  at  Lafayette, 
Illinois,  on  the  29th  of  January,  he  wrote  on  board 
the  train,  that  eight  men,  "  some  seniors  among 
them,"  had  accepted  Christ,  and  two  men  who  had 
lost  their  faith  had  been  brought  back.  "  Oh  for 
power  to  burn  a  path  of  light  in  these  colleges  for 
Christ.  I  am  very  grateful  for  the  way  He  gave  me 
the  hearts  of  the  men  at  Purdue.  I  shall  hold  up 
the  Kingdom  in  its  beauty  with  all  the  grace  and 
power  which  He  shall  supply.  How  weak  we  are, 
and  yet  how  mightily  He  works.  My  heart  is  filled 
with  gratitude." 

At  the  next  college,  the  only  man  led  into  the 
Christian  life  he  characterized  as  "  the  captain  of 
both  the  football  and  the  baseball  teams.  He  is 
a  very  influential  man."  His  method  of  following  up 
his  evangelistic  meetings  is  demonstrated  by  a  re- 
mark contained  in  his  report  of  a  visit  to  the  State 
University  of  Indiana,  at  Bloomington,  on  Febru- 
ary 2-4 :  "  Several,  perhaps  ten  or  twelve,  were 
converted.  These  men  were  anchored  in  personal 
work,  after  the  meeting.  There  will  be  more. 
Surely  these  men  are  rejoicing." 
73 


Un  /iDemoriam 

The  deficiencies  in  the  lives  of  Christian  men 
were  observed  by  Rose,  with  discernment.  Espe- 
cially acute  was  he  in  interpreting  the  causes  of  indif- 
ference, and  vigorous  in  pleading  with  Christian 
men  to  study  the  Bible,  in  order  that  the  mind  of 
Christ  might  take  possession  of  them.  After  the 
visit  at  Bloomington,  where  a  dozen  had  accepted 
Christ,  and  one  or  two  fraternities  had  given  him  a 
welcome  with  beneficial  results,  he  wrote  a  letter  ex- 
pressing the  thoughts  of  his  heart : 

Saturday  morning,  February  3,  Bloomington. 
My  dear  Andersen  : 

Surely  this  is  blessed  work.  How  hungry  it  makes  a  man 
to  help  the  needy  college  men.  We  need  Jesus  Christ,  and 
then  we  need  Him  more  and  more  still.  In  some  way,  these 
college  men  who  bear  His  name  must  be  stirred  up  to  put 
their  heart  in  love  alongside  the  heart  of  the  student  given 
up  to  sin.  We  must  find  more  men  who  will  live  so  near  to 
Christ  that  to  invite  other  men  to  accept  him  will  seem 
natural,  not  only  to  the  man  who  does  the  inviting,  but  also 
to  the  man  who  is  invited.  By  this  I  mean  that  a  man 
should  walk  so  closely  with  Christ  that  it  will  seem  natural  to 
both  men  concerned  that  the  matter  of  confessing  the  Sav- 
iour should  be  brought  up. 

He  rejoiced  exceedingly  at  the  word  from  Cor- 
nell University,  that  seventy-six  men  had  been  led 
into  the  Christian  life  in  three  days,  and  his  joy 
found  expression  in  the  wish  that  all  the  secretaries 
of  the  International  Committee  might  try  to  rejoice 
over  each  one,  and  thank  God  for  each  one. 
74 


TKHinter  ant)  Spring 

At  a  State  Convention  which  he  visited,  Rose  had 
been  assigned  for  entertainment  to  one  of  the  best 
hotels  in  the  city.  The  convention  was  being  held 
in  a  college  town.  On  a  previous  visit  to  the  same 
place  Rose  had  become  acquainted  with  a  group  of 
athletic  men  in  the  institution  who  had  been  greatly 
taken  with  his  spirit  in  spite  of  their  unclean  lives. 
As  soon  as  they  learned  that  he  was  in  town  they 
invited  him  to  share  their  rooms  during  the  conven- 
tion. He  referred  the  matter  to  one  or  two  secre- 
taries who  were  with  him.  They  opposed  accepting 
the  invitation  because  they  knew  how  heavy  a  strain 
would  be  put  upon  him  by  the  work  of  the  conven- 
tion. Their  advice  was  that  he  go  to  the  hotel 
where  he  could  take  care  of  himself.  In  spite  of 
this  opposition  he  accepted,  saying,  "If  I  can  get 
down  and  help  those  men  I  am  going  to  do  it." 

"When  he  entered  the  rooms  to  which  he  was  invited,  he 
found  on  the  walls  some  pictures  that  offended  his  sense  of 
propriety,  and  rebuked  the  fellows  by  saying  that  those  would 
have  to  come  down  if  he  was  going  to  stay  there.  They 
retorted  that  "  he  would  have  to  take  them  down  first."  At 
college,  Rose  was  a  famous  wrestler.  He  immediately  ac- 
cepted their  challenge,  and  one  at  a  time  threw  the  four  men 
in  succession,  although  two  of  them  were  much  larger  men. 
After  the  wrestling  bout,  he  saw  a  baseball  on  the  table,  and 
said,  "  Do  you  men  play  ball  ? "  And  they  replied,  "  Yes,  a 
little."  Rose  said,  "  I  used  to  do  some  of  it  myself.  Come 
out  in  the  yard  and  I  will  play  burn  with  you."  And  the  old 
'Varsity  catcher  used  his  strong  arm  for  the  glory  of  God, 
and  soon  retired  the  group  with  puffed  hands.     When  they 

75 


An  ZlDemorfam 

came  back  into  the  house,  Rose  said,  "  Now  you  can  see  that 
you  are  not  the  whole  thing,  what  do  you  say  about  those 
pictures?"  Without  any  other  words,  the  men  took  the 
offensive  decorations  down,  and  before  the  convention  closed 
they  were  led  into  the  kingdom. 

Another  incident  which  shows  his  great  hold  on 
college  men  is  told  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Colton,  who  suc- 
ceeded Rose  as  the  traveling  secretary  of  the 
student  department  in  the  West :  "  He  worked  at  a 
pace  which  added  ten  years  of  age  to  his  appear- 
ance. His  mother  and  wife  at  home  were  invalids, 
the  latter  only  shortly  surviving  him.  Under  the 
most  rigid  economy  and  self-denial  his  finances 
were  straightened,  yet  I  heard  a  man  in  Knox 
College  say  of  him,  when  I  knew  half  of  his  nights 
were  sleepless  and  he  himself  suffering  an  acute 
physical  affliction,  '  He  is  the  first  Christian  I  ever 
saw  who  seemed  to  me  to  be  happy.'  n 

About  the  middle  of  April  the  state  of  Mrs.  Rose's 
health  led  him  to  consider  seriously  giving  up  travel- 
ing work  for  a  position  as  general  secretary  in  some 
college  or  city  association.  He  wrote  the  New  York 
office  from  Boulder,  Colorado,  in  the  midst  of  a  trip 
on  which  Mrs.  Rose  accompanied  him,  that  there 
was  much  to  encourage  him  and  also  "  much  to 
almost  break  my  heart."  He  hoped  that  the  con- 
templated trip  among  the  colleges  of  California 
would  be  of  benefit  to  her. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 

76 


TKHinter  anfc  Spring 

the  Cornell  University  Christian  Association  decided 
to  look  for  a  man  who  might  become  general  secre- 
tary, devoting  all  his  time  to  the  work.  Friends 
who  knew  of  the  desire  that  Rose  had  for  a  perma- 
nent residence  to  aid  his  wife  in  her  recovery 
suggested  his  name  to  the  Cornell  leaders.  In 
expressing  his  willingness  to  go  to  Ithaca  and  the 
reluctance  which  he  felt  in  relinquishing  his  travel- 
ing work,  he  said :  "  How  my  heart  yearns  for  an- 
other year  in  this  Western  field  !  So  little  has  been 
done,  and  yet  God  has  manifested  His  power.  But 
His  will  is  sweet  and  it  is  our  happy  privilege  to 
keep  humble  before  it."  At  the  close  of  another 
letter  written  on  the  27th  of  April,  in  referring 
again  to  his  work  for  the  next  year,  he  says  :  "  The 
thing  that  I  feel  keenly  at  this  time  is  the  desire 
that  the  dear  Father  will  show  us  His  plan  not  only 
for  Mrs.  Rose  and  me,  but  also  for  my  successor." 

The  part  that  prayer  played  in  this  year  of 
abounding  fruitage  was  most  significant.  Enough 
reference  to  the  place  of  prayer  in  Rose's  daily  life 
has  been  made  to  show  that  his  faith  in  the  answer 
to  prayer  was  without  qualification.  He  gave 
special  thought  to  his  public  prayers,  especially 
those  which  opened  and  closed  the  meetings  in 
which  he  made  addresses.  The  one  which  follows 
was  evidently  used  by  him  at  the  close  of  an  evan- 
gelistic address  on  the  occasion  of  some  visit  in  a 
college. 

77 


Hn  /iDemoriam 

My  dear  Father  in  Heaven,  I  pray  Thee  that  the  past 
may  be  forgotten  in  the  vast  significance  of  this  present  hour. 
We  see  these  needy  men,  sinful  and  rebellious,  without 
Christ  in  this  present  world  or  the  world  to  come,  and  are 
moved  to  ask  great  things  from  Thee.  Forbid  that  we  should 
limit  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  asking  for  small  gifts. 
Our  Father,  we  ask  Thee  that  men  may  be  led  to  make  Jesus 
King  of  their  lives  to-day,  that  their  wills  may  be  broken 
down  and  their  hearts  filled  with  love.  Save  some  and  get 
glory  to  Thyself.  Save  them  for  their  sakes,  for  all  that  it 
will  mean  to  them  and  theirs  now  and  in  years  to  come  ;  save 
them  for  the  sake  of  Thy  dear  Kingdom  which  we  are  long- 
ing for  in  its  fulness ;  save  them  for  the  sake  of  the  Dear 
Savior  who  gave  Himself  for  them ;  and  save  them  that  Thou 
mayst  get  glory  to  Thyself.  And  there  are  some  Christian 
men,  Dear  Father,  who  ought  to  be  in  Bible  study  classes. 
Show  them  the  power  of  Thy  word  in  their  struggle  to  do 
Thy  will.  May  they  be  led  to  give  it  a  place  in  the  work  of 
each  day.  And  there  are  some  men,  Father,  who  have  evils 
hanging  to  their  lives.  By  Thy  grace  and  saving  power,  set 
them  free.  And  there  are  many  who  have  no  burden  for 
serving  Thee  now  —  here  in  College.  Father,  show  them  the 
beauty  of  the  life  of  service  and  give  them  grace  to  say, 
Here  am  I,  send  me.  May  this  be  a  day  of  victories.  May 
we  Thy  children  come  to  love  Thee  more.  May  we  be 
humble.  May  men  be  saved.  May  Christ  be  lifted  up. 
May  Thy  name  get  glory.     For  Christ's  sake.  Amen. 

This  form,  appearing  in  four  sections,  was  used 
when  he  appealed  to  men  to  make  decisions  : 
(Bowed  in  prayer.) 

When  I  reflect  on  the  meaning  and  the  beauty  and  the 
significance  of  the  Christian  life,  and  the  claim  of  Christ  on 
our  lives  and  what  the  Bible  says  about  being  Christian  men, 

78 


Winter  ant)  Spring 

I  am  constrained  to  ask  you  men  to  get  a  victory  by  His 
grace. 

And  when  I  think  of  the  power  of  the  word  of  God  to 
transform  and  beautify  men's  lives  and  equip  men  for  lives 
of  usefulness  and  service,  and  help  them  over  besetting  sins, 
I  am  constrained  to  ask  you  to  get  a  victory  in  regard  to 
Bible  study. 

And  when  I  think  of  how  much  we  young  men  need  the 
strong  arm  of  the  church  to  help  us  to  be  God's  kind  of  a 
man,  and  what  great  opportunities  the  Church  affords  for 
Christian  growth  and  service,  I  am  constrained  to  ask  you  if 
there  are  not  some  whose  battle  lies  right  here. 

And  when  I  think  of  the  awful  ravages  of  sin  in  our  lives, 
some  besetting  sin,  I  am  constrained  to  ask  whether  or  not 
victory  is  ours  along  this  line. 

The  importance  of  personal  work  as  a  means  of 
making  the  religious  meetings  of  college  associations 
effective  was  constantly  emphasized  by  Rose  in  his 
travels,  and  also  in  papers  prepared  by  him  to  be 
read  at  conferences  of  general  secretaries  and  associ- 
ation presidents.  One  such  paper  has  been  found, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  part : 

Under  the  first  head,  the  remark  was  made  that  it  is 
desirable  to  have  the  large  meeting  of  the  Association  often 
lead  up  to  decision.  It  hardly  seems  wise  that  every  meeting, 
or  that  more  than  one  in  three  of  the  meetings,  should  be 
decision  meetings,  yet  where  the  atmosphere  is  warm,  and 
there  is  the  need  for  victory,  it  is  surely  unwise  to  let  go  the 
opportunity  of  bringing  men  to  decision.  Not  all  men  can 
lead  a  decision  meeting.  Men  should  be  chosen  partially 
with  reference  to  this  gift.  How  get  decision  ?  Not  very 
often  by  a  show  of  the  hand,  or  by  asking  men  to  rise  to  their 

79 


Un  /l&emoriam 

feet,  but  more  often,  in  quiet,  thoughtful  prayer,  with  their 
heads  bowed,  urge  men  before  God  to  say,  "  by  His  grace,  I'll 
overcome." 

Still  other  men  may  be  led  to  decision  by  the  diligent 
work  of  the  Committee  and  other  active  men  at  the  close  of 
the  meeting.  Once  in  a  while  we  meet  a  man  of  God  who  is 
on  his  feet  the  moment  the  closing  prayer  is  offered,  asking 
one  friend  and  another  if  the  victory  for  which  he  has  been 
hungry  has  at  last  come  into  his  life.  We  have  seen  skillful, 
earnest,  personal  workers  at  the  close  of  an  ordinary  meeting, 
lead  three  or  four  different  students  to  a  definite  decision 
along  definite  lines. 

In  regard  to  the  work  of  the  religious  meetings,  this  is  the 
neglected  field.  I  carry  a  great  burden  for  the  ten  minutes 
following  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Association.  This  regu- 
lar meeting  should  open  numerous  avenues  for  personal  work. 
If  the  Committee  has  the  subject  well  in  hand,  and  if 
their  hearts  are  aflame  for  victories  along  the  line  of  the  sub- 
ject, it  is  a  very  simple  and  natural  thing  for  them  to  do,  to 
personally  talk  with  men  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  in  regard 
to  the  theme  of  the  hour.  I  believe  that  one  of  the  greatest 
weaknesses  of  our  Christian  work  is  that  we  fail  to  conserve 
the  results  of  the  regular  religious  meeting  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association. 

Another  most  interesting  paper  was  prepared  by 
him  on  "  How  to  get  hold  of  men  not  interested  in 
Association  work."  In  most  college  associations  a 
successful  special  attempt  is  made  to  lead  the  men 
of  the  freshman  class  into  the  helpful  associations  of 
Christian  work,  but  it  is  commonly  recognized  that 
after  this  special  effort  is  finished,  there  still  remain 
many  who  have  not  identified  themselves  with  Chris* 
80 


TKHinter  anfc  Spring 

tian  churches  or  associations.  Rose  constantly  im- 
pressed upon  student  leaders  the  importance  of  a 
continuous  aggressive  campaign  to  reach  these  un- 
interested men.  There  are  five  main  divisions  to 
the  paper,  the  last  three  being  :  "  The  men's  social," 
"  The  judicious  use  of  the  employment  bureau,"  and 
"  Using  available  methods  of  making  sentiment  in 
favor  of  the  Association."  Under  the  last  topic  he 
had  seven  sub-divisions : 

i.  Chapel  talk. 

2.  Use  of  college  paper. 

3.  Judicious  use  of  Intercollegian  and  much  other  Associ- 
ation literature. 

4.  Visit  of  deputation  men  or  secretary. 

5.  Keeping  reports  before  student  body. 

6.  Actually  doing  an  earnest,  wide-awake,  aggressive  work. 

7.  Policy  sympathetic  with  other  college  organizations. 

The  chief  emphasis,  however,  in  this  excellent 
paper  was  laid  on  the  first  two  topics,  which  are  as 
follows  : 

I.   Through  the  medium  of  the  Bible  Study  Class. 

The  effort  to  enlist  men  in  Bible  study  is  one  of  the  surest 
ways  to  win  the  uninterested.  Have  you  tried  it?  Several 
weeks  of  study  together  with  the  earnest  Association  men 
will  overcome  prejudice.  May  only  get  a  few  this  way.  But 
to  win  one  of  these  cold  fellows  is  a  great  victory.  Here  is 
an  opportunity  which  is  not  used  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
great  problem,  "  How  break  down  prejudice  against  organized 
Christian  work?  "  The  battering  ram  process  is  the  process 
which  must  be  used  to  enlist  these  indifferent  men.  {Enlarge) 
Again,  men  not  interested  may  be  grouped  about  one  or  two  m  en 
81 


Un  /iDemoriam 

of  God,  men  who  clique  together,  men  who  are  in  athletics  to- 
gether, fraternity  men  together.  Here  the  vital  difficulty  is  to 
find  the  man  of  God  who  is  acceptable  to  all  these  men,  and 
too  much  care  and  study  cannot  be9 expended  upon  this 
problem.  In  fact,  if  this  group  plan  is  to  be  worked,  it  seems 
desirable  that  the  field  should  be  carefully  studied  with  refer- 
ence to  supplying  the  man  of  God  for  any  one  of  two  or  three 
groups  of  men  who  are  not  interested,  before  the  men  are 
consulted  personally. 

II.   The  Visitation  Work. 

(i)  All  college  men  are  either  hungry  for  or  appreciate 
kindnesses  shown  to  them  in  the  way  of  calling  upon  them. 

(2)  An  immense  amount  of  ground  can  be  covered  and  an 
immense  amount  of  work  done  which  pays  large  dividends. 

(3)  A  committee  of  ten  earnest  men  led  by  a  consecrated 
chairman,  each  making  two  calls  a  week,  will  visit  eighty  men 
a  month.  These  eighty  men  should  be  seen  again  and  again 
until  they  feel  friendly,  not  only  to  the  men  who  are  calling 
upon  them,  but  also  to  the  Association.  Changing  of  visiting 
lists  from  time  to  time  will  give  the  uninterested  men  more 
chance  to  make  friends,  that  is,  different  Association  men  will 
thus  be  given  a  chance  to  call  upon  them  and  get  acquainted 
with  them.  We  have  been  talking  long  enough  about  solu- 
tions to  some  of  these  questions.  This  matter  of  visitation 
has  been  often  spoken  of,  but  for  some  reason  or  other,  not 
many^Associations  have  taken  it  into  their  policy.  Where  it 
has  been  tried  it  pays  very  large  dividends. 

(4)  The  objects  of  this  visitation  work  may  be  numerous. 

The  regular  work  of  the  committee  would  better  be  con- 
fined to  enlisting  the  sympathy  of  men  who  are  uninterested. 
Each  man  would  visit  and  talk  in  a  different  way,  but  such 
themes  as  athletics,  college  activities  in  general,  and  the  more 
recent  developments  of  the  student  movement  should  be  at 
the  tongue's  end  of  the  visitor.  Any  recent  thrilling  develop- 
ment of  the  work  in  India,  China,  Ceylon,  Japan,  Scandina- 

82 


TKMnter  anfc>  Spring 

via,  Italy,  France,  Russia,  —  these  are  topics  of  great  interest, 
and  furnish  the  wedge  for  winning  the  man's  sympathy  to  the 
local  work.  Dropping  into  the  room  soon  after  supper,  or  on 
a  holiday,  or  in  the  P.  M.  for  a  short  time  for  just  a  social 
visit,  letting  this  ripen  as  fast  as  possible  into  a  rich  friend- 
ship and  a  relation  of  confidence ;  this  is  the  spirit  of  the  visi- 
tation work,  always  hoping  that  the  way  will  open  for  an 
earnest  talk  in  regard  to  the  Christian  life.  Or  the  further 
object  of  the  visitation  work  may  be  to  have  a  committee 
available  who  shall,  through  direct  work  themselves  —  but 
more  especially  through  stirring  up  the  members  to  a  need  of 
it  —  promote  this  habit  of  cultivating  and  developing  more 
friends.  "  I  would  rather  have  a  man  tie  up  to  me  than  a 
movement"  The  habit  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  just 
getting  with  another  for  encouragement  and  cheer  for  a  few 
minutes  makes  the  whole  Association  more  compact.  Through 
the  visitation  work  it  will  also  be  desirable  from  time  to  time 
to  round  up  the  members  on  Bible  study,  on  prayer,  on  the 
besetting  sins,  and  on  the  matter  of  faithfulness  to  duty  in 
Christian  activity. 

The  significance  of  student  association  work  had 
grown  on  him  steadily  during  the  severe  campaigns 
of  the  winter,  and  he  voices  his  thought  in  the  fol- 
lowing letter  on  the  8th  of  May,  dated  from  Chaffey 
College,  Ontario,  California. 

Down  here  in  Ontario  I  have  been  thinking  just  a  little, 
while  waiting  to  see  the  men  about  leaving  this  work.  I  had 
hardly  realized  how  its  significance  had  taken  hold  on  me, 
but  it  has  been  a  very  happy  and  pleasant  year,  and  I  am  sure 
it  has  been  for  some  of  the  needy  men  whom  I  have  had  the 
privilege  of  knowing.  I  had  hoped  earlier  in  the  year  that  in 
a  humble  way  I  might  call  hundreds  of  college  men  to  give 
time  and  energy  to  doing  the  will  of  God  as  personal  workers. 

83 


1fn  /H>emoriam 

We  can  be  very  happy,  however,  in  the  thought  that  God  has 
power  to  raise  up  and  equip  men  for  His  work  whenever  there 
is  need.     How  I  love  these  hungry  college  men. 
As  ever, 

ROSE. 

In  a  letter  bearing  date  of  May  19th,  to  a  friend 
in  the  East,  he  said :  "It  pulls  my  heartstrings  to 
have  to  leave  this  traveling  work,  it's  full  of  so 
many  opportunities." 

The  decision  had  been  definitely  made  to  go  to 
Cornell  University  as  general  secretary.  Hence- 
forth, even  during  the  busy  days  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
and  Lake  Geneva  Summer  Conference,  his  thought 
turned  toward  the  new  field.  He  had  entered  the 
year  of  service  with  the  International  Committee 
with  the  intention  "to  leave  a  trail  of  light "  behind 
him,  and  he  did  it.  The  Intercolkgian  says  of 
his  work  :  "  In  sixty  of  the  eighty  colleges  visited, 
men  were  converted  during  his  stay.  During  the 
year  he  was  the  means  of  winning,  personally,  more 
than  four  hundred  students  to  Christ.  He  led  about 
twenty-five  men  to  give  their  lives  to  foreign  missions 
and  a  larger  number  besides  to  enter  other  forms  of 
Christian  work.  He  led  over  six  hundred  men  into 
Bible  study  as  a  result  of  personal  interviews.  Ev- 
ery conversation  entered  into  and  every  letter  he 
wrote  was  inbreathed  with  his  longing  for  the  spirit- 
ual uplifting  of  college  men.  The  whole  student 
movement  felt  the  thrill  of  his  triumphant  faith  and 
ceaseless  activity." 

8  + 


Bt  Cornell 


CHAPTER  VI 

AT    CORNELL 

THE  decision  to  accept  the  call  of  the  Cornell 
Association  came  so  late  in  the  spring  that 
Rose  had  barely  time  to  reach  the  Northfield 
Student  Conference  late  in  June.  About  ten  Cornell 
men  were  present  as  delegates,  and  Rose  entered  at 
once  into  intimate  relationship  with  them  all.  At 
this  time  plans  were  laid  for  the  opening  of  the  work 
in  the  fall.  While  his  chief  purpose  was  to  study 
his  prospective  field  in  company  with  the  small  hand- 
ful of  leaders  present  at  the  Conference,  nevertheless 
he  was  very  largely  used  during  the  ten  days  among 
other  delegations  on  the  grounds. 

Throughout  his  life  he  had  the  habit  of  recording 
his  prayerful  meditations  in  writing.  Robert  E.  Speer, 
in  an  article  on  the  life  of  Rose  printed  in  Forward^ 
a  paper  widely  circulated  among  Presbyterian  young 
people,  makes  reference  to  one  of  his  written  prayers 
entered  in  his  note  book  at  Northfield. 

July  I. 
Father,  Thou  hast  led  me  into  places  of  large  privilege 
lately.  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  counted  me  worthy  of  so 
much  trust.  But  this  morning,  Father,  I  am  conscious  of  the 
fact  that  under  all  this  pressure  which  has  been  upon  me,  I 
have  not  found  the  quiet  watchings  with  Thee.  Give  me  a 
place  in  the  company  of  those  who  know  Thee  very  intimately. 

85 


•ffn  /iDemoriam 

And  eight  days  later,  as  the  conference  closed, 
Horace  wrote  again : 

July  9. 
The  Northfield  Conference  is  almost  over.  God  has  spoken 
here.  I  have  been  on  the  Mount  of  Vision,  and  I  pledge  God 
to  be  true  to  the  vision.  But  perhaps  two  things  more  than 
others  are  stirring  the  very  depths  of  my  heart.  I  must  win 
more  souls.  I  must  be  instrumental  in  starting  some  revivals. 
With  God's  grace  I  will.  The  second  is  this :  I  have  heard, 
as  never  before,  the  cry  of  the  Indian  student,  of  the  students 
of  Japan  and  China  and  Australia. 

The  summer  months  were  spent  with  his  wife,  his 
time  being  occupied  in  making  her  comfortable  and 
in  preparing  for  his  work  at  Cornell.  On  the  twenty- 
second  of  August  he  wrote  to  a  friend  from  Chicago  — 
"I  am  anticipating  the  work  at  Cornell  with  much 
more  enthusiasm  than  I  supposed  I  could  under  the 
circumstances.  Surely,  Mrs.  Rose  will  like  it  as  soon 
as  she  gets  stronger." 

He  had  been  asked  to  spend  a  few  days  in  early 
September  in  conference  with  the  Student  Secretaries 
of  the  International  Committee  at  Long  Beach,  on 
Long  Island.  He  felt,  however,  that  it  would  not  be 
wise  to  leave  his  new  position  so  soon  after  under- 
taking his  work  at  Cornell,  and  as  a  consequence, 
wrote  as  follows : 

Of  course  the  Conference  at  Long  Beach  would  be  a  source 
of  great  inspiration  to  me,  but  that  is  valuable  time  just  then 
and  I  must  give  the  Cornell  Association  first  claim.     Don't 
86 


Bt  Cornell 

forget  to  enlist  prayer  for  the  work  there.     God  is  very  dear 
these  days.  Lovingly  yours, 

ROSE. 

Still  again,  two  days  later,  he  wrote  to  the  same 
friend :  "I  shall  miss  the  fellowship  and  inspiration 
of  the  Conference  at  Long  Beach  much."  He  referred 
then  to  Mrs.  Rose's  condition,  and  stated  that  she 
had  improved  scarcely  at  all  during  the  closing  days 
of  August.  At  this  time  he  decided  not  to  take  her 
to  Cornell  with  him,  but  to  find  a  private  sanitarium 
in  the  East  where  she  might  receive  the  best  of  care. 
His  closing  words  of  this  letter  were,  "  Be  sure  to 
ask  lots  of  the  men  at  the  Conference  to  remember 
Mrs.  Rose.  The  Lord  will  hear  us  tho'  He  tarry 
long.  And  have  them  remember  me.  He  is  very 
near  to  me  during  these  days." 

In  his  travels  Horace  had  spent  many  hours  in 
the  office  of  the  Student  Department  at  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  Building  of  Chicago, 
especially  in  conference  with  his  friend  William  J. 
Parker,  the  secretary  in  charge  of  student  work. 
He  writes : 

"  In  his  tender  care  for  his  aged  mother  and  in 
his  tireless  search  for  a  cure  for  his  invalid  wife, 
Rose  showed  qualities  that  but  few  saw.  Once  when 
it  was  urged  upon  him  that  his  health  required  that 
he  take  time  for  exercise,  he  said,  '  Yes,  I  know  I 
ought  to,  but  Sue  takes  a  nap  every  afternoon  and  I 
can't  bear  to  have  her  wake  up  and  find  me  gone.' 

87 


An  /iDemoriam 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  spent  the  last  few  days  before 
going  to  Cornell  at  our  home.  He  was  worn  out 
physically  and  the  future  was  uncertain.  '  I  don't 
quite  know  why  I'm  going  to  Cornell,'  he  said,  '  but 
I  guess  it's  all  right.  God  seems  to  be  leading  me 
just  a  step  at  a  time  lately,  and  I  can't  see  very  far 
into  the  future.  I  am  willing  to  leave  it  to  Him.' 
And  he  did." 

Rose  was  finally  induced  to  attend  the  Long  Beach 
Conference,  after  taking  up  his  work  on  September 
first.  His  wife  had  found  a  comfortable  place  as  a 
home  in  the  East.  During  the  days  spent  at  Long 
Beach  Rose  seemed  almost  broken  in  health  and 
very  low  spirited.  The  burden  of  care  and  anxiety 
for  his  mother  and  wife  weighed  on  him  greatly.  It 
was  strange  to  see  him  wander  off  up  the  beach  alone, 
brushing  the  flowing  tears  from  his  face.  In  asking 
a  friend  at  the  close  of  each  day  to  pray  for  Mrs. 
Rose,  he  said,  "  You  know,  old  fellow,  that  I  can't 
say  much  to  the  other  men  about  it,  but  I  do  covet 
your  prayer  and  sympathy,  and  the  same  from  the 
other  men  also." 

After  his  return  to  Cornell  at  the  end  of  the  second 
week  in  September,  he  began  to  master  the  details 
of  the  office  and  get  his  bearings  among  difficult  and 
sometimes  discouraging  circumstances  and  surround- 
ings. His  health  began  to  improve  immediately  as 
a  result  of  steady  hours  and  regular  exercise  out  of 
doors  and  in  the  gymnasium.  For  a  few  weeks  his 
88 


Ht  Cornell 

physical  improvement  continued  and  he  seemed  to 
be  himself  again  in  spirit  and  in  his  work. 

At  Cornell  the  same  habits  of  his  spiritual  life 
which  had  made  him  such  a  naming  torch  in  the 
colleges  of  the  West  were  adopted.  It  was  his  cus- 
tom to  give  a  full  hour  each  day  to  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  and  oftentimes  this  hour  was  multiplied  by 
three.  The  presence  of  difficulties  in  his  work 
seemed  to  drive  him  more  and  more  to  his  room  in 
the  tower  of  Barnes  Hall,  the  Association  Build- 
ing, for  secret  prayer  and  further  study  of  his  Bible. 
On  one  occasion  the  former  secretary,  who  had  occu- 
pied the  room  for  several  years  in  which  he  slept, 
found  him  at  a  late  hour  in  the  morning  with  his 
coat  off  and  his  note  book  and  Bible  spread  out  on 
the  bed.  He  then  said,  "  I  would  not  think  of  enter- 
ing the  day  here  without  spending  at  least  an  hour 
over  my  Bible  and  with  Christ  in  prayer.  It  is  hard 
to  keep  sweet  and  yet  do  all  that  must  be  done. 
They  don't  understand  me  yet,  I  fear." 

It  was  not  strange  that  he  found  himself  in  a 
difficult  position.  His  heart  longed  for  the  speedy 
introduction  of  those  methods  of  Christian  work 
which  were  designed  to  bring  young  men  in  large 
numbers  into  the  Christian  life  and  into  the  Chris- 
tian church.  It  was  natural  also,  that  time  should 
have  been  required  for  the  officers  of  the  Associa- 
tion, who  had  not  worked  with  him  at  the  Northfield 
Student   Conference,  to   learn  of  his   desires   and 


Hn  /lDemortam 

methods,  and  reconstruct  plans  under  his  adminis- 
tration. 

Early  progress  was  noted,  however,  in  the  work 
which  he  did.  To  a  fellow  secretary  he  wrote,  on 
October  ist:  "Last  evening  we  had  our  decision 
meeting,  and  so  near  as  I  could  find  out,  there  were 
only  two  men  in  the  room  who  were  not  Christians. 
They  both  made  the  confession  of  Christ.  Never- 
theless, even  though  the  numbers  were  small,  the 
meeting  was  a  blessing  to  us  all.  The  fall  work 
has  thus  far  been  quite  successful.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  new  men  have  joined,  and  the 
canvass  is  still  spreading.  .  .  .  There  is  nothing 
to  write  regarding  Mrs.  Rose.  I  hardly  know  my- 
self how  she  is.  I  think  we  are  justified  in  feeling 
encouraged.  You  do  not  know  how  much  your  love 
and  sympathy  mean  to  me." 

Writing  to  the  New  York  office  during  the  next 
three  weeks,  he  said: 

H came  two   hours  ago,  and   you   can  bet   your  last 

copper  that  I  am  mighty  glad  to  see  him.  We  are  looking 
for  a  good  day  to-morrow.  Our  greatest  snag  is  a  very  at- 
tractive vesper  service  in  the  chapel  at  3.15,  on  Sunday.  It 
is  absolutely  impossible  for  us  to  do  what  most  Associations 
do  through  meetings.  I  have  been  very  happy  here.  We 
must  get  some  large  victories  in  His  Name. 

Yours  as  ever, 

ROSE. 

October  8,  1900. 
Yesterday  was  a  blessed  day  with  us.     More  than  a  hun- 
90 


Ht  Cornell 

dred  have  enlisted  for  Bible  study,  —  the  exact  number  is  one 
hundred  and  eight.  This  number  will  be  very  substantially 
enlarged,  surely  beyond  one  hundred  and  fifty.  A  blessing 
on  the  workers  at  headquarters  1 

October  20,  1900. 

Must  do  this  little  piece  of  work  in  just  a  minute.  One 
of  our  good  men  wants  to  make  a  very  thorough  and  critical 
study  of  the  Parables  of  Jesus.  What  are  some  of  the  best 
books,  and  the  price  of  them  ?  By  the  way,  who  is  the  ency- 
clopaedia who  answers  such  questions  from  the  office  ? 

God's  blessing  still  rests  with  us. 

On  October  29th,  he  wrote  to  the  friend  who  had 
visited  the  Association  to  aid  in  starting  the  Bible 
study  classes  : 

By  the  time  this  reaches  you,  I  believe  we  shall  have  two 
hundred  new  members,  practically  all  freshmen.  Surely,  God 
has  made  them  willing.  The  Bible  study  is  growing  steadily, 
—  enrollment  now  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-three.  Good 
solid  work  in  every  class  too.  We  are  still  hustling  for  more 
men.  Our  greatest  problem  in  the  Bible  study  department 
is  to  get  leaders.  We  can't  find  the  men  we  ought  to  have. 
Surely,  they  are  here.  In  time  we  will  get  them.  Personal 
workers'  class  started  Sunday.  Will  start  another  in  about 
ten  days. 

At  about  this  time  he  was  endeavoring  to  lead  the 
members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Associ- 
ation to  adopt  a  strong  policy  regarding  evangelistic 
meetings  and  personal  work,  and  in  his  letters  he 
frequently  dwelt  on  the  great  importance  of  using 
the  regular  meetings  of  the  Association  to  lead 
students  to  a  decision  for  Christ.  On  the  twenty- 
91 


1Fn  flDemoriam 

fifth  of  October  he  wrote   to  a  secretary  whom  he 
had  known  for  many  years : 

It  would  do  me  a  world  of  good  to  have  a  visit  with  you 
just  now.  There  are  some  obstacles  here  which  are  difficult 
to  overcome.  The  Executive  Committee  is  opposed  to 
evangelistic  meetings,  but  we  will  win  them  yet.  This  is  a 
sore  disappointment  to  me,  for  I  thought  that  they  were 
anxious  to  have  the  evangelistic  effort  characterize  their  work. 
But  God  is  blessing  us  and  I  believe  He  is  glorifying  Himself 
here.  The  Bible  study  enrollment  is  just  about  two  hundred, 
and  still  growing.  We  have  the  largest  freshmen  member- 
ship ever  recorded  here. 

They  were  talking  about  Bible  study  in  the 
Executive  Committee  meeting  one  evening.  Rose 
wanted  to  have  a  strong  meeting  in  which  men 
could  be  invited  to  take  a  definite  stand  for  Christ, 
but  the  others  wanted  to  push  Bible  study  instead. 
Finally  they  came  to  his  view  when  he  quoted  to 
them  a  verse  in  Luke,  making  it  apply  to  Bible 
study :  "  Even  so  shall  there  be  joy  in  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth  more  than  over  ninety  and 
nine  righteous  persons  that  are  brought  into  Bible 
Study  classes." 

The  affection  so  constantly  shown  by  his  mother 
to  him  during  the  illness  of  his  wife  is  well  expressed 
by  a  note  written  with  a  trembling  hand  on  October 
twenty-ninth  : 

Dear  Boy : 

Your  letters  are  very  precious  to  me.     May  the  Lord  keep 
92 


at  Cornell 

your  faith  firm  and  bright.  .  .  .  May  the  compassionate  Mas- 
ter pity  and  bless  our  little  Sue. 

Your  loving 

MOTHER. 

During  the  month  of  November  steady  progress 
was  made  in  all  departments  of  the  Association  work 
at  Cornell.  It  encouraged  Rose  much  to  know  that 
the  two  personal  workers'  classes  had  been  used  to 
lead  several  young  men  to  Christ.  Among  the  num- 
ber was  a  Japanese  student  in  the  graduate  depart- 
ment. This  particular  event  cheered  Rose  greatly. 
The  leading  officers  and  the  committee  men  of  the 
Association  had  rallied  to  his  support  with  greatest 
fidelity  and  devotion,  and  the  prospect  for  the  future 
was  bright.  The  disappointment  which  he  had  felt 
during  the  opening  weeks  had  begun  to  give  way  in 
the  face  of  actual  accomplishments.  But  he  missed 
the  fellowship  of  those  who  had  been  his  most  in- 
timate friends  during  the  previous  four  years.  This 
feeling  was  experienced  in  a  note  to  a  former  asso- 
ciate : 

Barnes  Hall,  November  30. 
It  is  borne  in  upon  me  more  and  more  how  much  I  owe  to 
the  sympathy  and  prayers  of  friends.  Your  letters  are  always 
helpful.  Wish  I  could  see  you  and  just  unconsciously  un- 
burden myself  —  not  that  I  feel  especially  burdened,  and  yet 
I  have  a  real  feeling  of  longing  for  the  men  whom  I  have 
known  and  loved.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Rose  doesn't  gain  as  yet.  The 
doctor  advised  me  to  bring  her  back  here,  because  he  thought 
our  being  together  is  essential  to  her  recovery.  And  so  we 
have  been  together  for  a  few  days . 

93 


•ffn  flDemoriam 

A  personal  letter,  bearing  date  of  December  30, 
1900,  which  was  never  delivered  to  him,  was  sent 
by  a  companion  of  childhood  and  college  days.  In 
it  great  joy  was  expressed  by  the  young  people,  be- 
cause of  his  message  sent  to  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society  of  the  church  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  on  the 
occasion  of  their  consecration  meeting.  "  I  am  sure 
that  the  Endeavorers  of  the  First  Church  were  as 
glad  to  get  your  thoughtful  and  inspiring  words  as  the 
Endeavorers  of  the  dear  old  Fort  Atkinson  Church 
used  to  be.  Ever  so  many  came  up  at  the  close  of  the 
service  and  spoke  of  you  and  told  how  glad  they 
were  that  you  still  thought  of  us."  This  communi- 
cation must  have  been  sent  but  a  few  hours  before 
he  was  removed  to  the  hospital. 

His  last  letter  to  the  friend  with  whom  he  had 
been  in  constant  correspondence  during  the  fall  of 
1900,  was  dated  December  7th  : 

Your  letter,  full  of  cheer,  came  yesterday.  Mrs.  Rose 
doesn't  seem  to  change  much,  one  way  or  another.  But  we 
know  Whom  we  have  believed,  and  He  knows  that  we  have 
believed. 

From  this  time  on,  Rose  busied  himself  with  the 
work  involved  in  the  closing  weeks  of  the  fall  term. 
Aside  from  the  administrative  work  of  the  Associa- 
tion, his  chief  service  was  pastoral  in  character. 
The  old  custom  of  visiting  men  in  their  rooms  had 
been  resumed,  and  already  his  note  book  in  which 
94 


Ht  Cornell 

he  entered  dates  for  personal  interviews,  was  well 
rilled  with  engagements. 

On  December  fifteenth,  he  seemed  to  be  suffering 
with  "  grip."  A  physician  treated  him  accordingly, 
while  he  still  continued  to  do  his  regular  work.  On 
the  twenty-second  of  December,  another  physician 
was  called,  who  discovered  a  system  run  down,  ac- 
companied by  a  high  fever,  with  Rose  still  at  his 
work.  His  case  was  pronounced  to  be  typhoid  of  a 
week's  duration,  and  he  was  ordered  removed  at 
once  to  the  city  hospital. 

The  consciousness  of  danger  does  not  seem  to 
have  dawned  upon  him,  but  the  officers  of  the  As- 
sociation, and  many  friends  who  were  accustomed  to 
meet  him  daily  at  Barnes  Hall,  became  alarmed. 
The  best  possible  care  was  summoned,  and  two 
nurses  attended  him  constantly  until  his  death. 
More  than  ordinary  hospital  attention  was  given 
him.  His  relatives  were  notified  of  his  condition, 
and  one  of  his  brothers  started  for  Ithaca. 

Early  in  the  fall,  Harlan  P.  Beach,  the  educa- 
tional secretary  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement, 
had  visited  Cornell,  to  aid  the  Association  in  start- 
ing its  mission  study  classes.  The  news  of  Rose's 
illness  was  promptly  sent  to  the  New  York  office. 
On  December  twenty-ninth,  Mr.  Beach  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  addressing  it  to  the  city  hospital : 

Dear  Mr.  Rose : 

We  at  the  office  have  been  greatly  saddened  at  this  Christ- 

95 


fn  flDemoriam 

mas  season  by  hearing  through  Mr.  Walter  of  your  illness. 
I  do  not  know  Mr.  Hicks'  holiday  address,  and  Mott  is  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  but  they  will  be  informed  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible concerning  your  illness. 

I  am  not  surprised  that  one  so  wholly  given  up  to  the  work 
of  the  Lord  should  find  himself  in  condition  to  fall  before  the 
onset  of  typhoid  fever,  but  I  remember  that  your  Master  is 
all-loving,  and  regards  the  value  of  his  workers'  service  as 
well  as  their  life.  I  am  sure  that  the  consolations  of  God  are 
not  small  with  you  and  that  the  very  consciousness  of  this 
Christmas  season  will  make  sickness  easier  to  endure.  Walter 
tells  me  that  Mrs.  Rose  is  bearing  up  splendidly,  and  I  am 
sure  that  all  is  being  done  for  the  best.  You  have  the  deep- 
est sympathy  and  the  prayers  of  all  in  the  office,  and  we  hope 
to  hear  of  your  speedy  convalescence. 

Very  sympathetically  yours, 

H.  P.  BEACH. 

The  fever  had,  however,  secured  a  strong  hold  on 
his  system,  and  on  the  night  of  Friday,  January  4th,  it 
was  feared  that  a  severe  sinking  spell  would  bring  the 
end.  He  rallied,  however,  and  on  the  sixth  of  Jan- 
uary was  cheered  by  the  arrival  of  his  brother 
Frank,  and  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends  from 
New  York.  The  fever  continued  to  develop,  and 
in  spite  of  the  best  treatment,  resulted  fatally  on 
Thursday,  January  the  tenth. 

Few  realized  at  the  time  of  his  death  how  great  an 
influence  he  had  exerted  already  throughout  the  Uni- 
versity. Many  letters  of  sympathy  were  addressed  to 
Mrs.  Rose  at  Ithaca,  and  the  officers  of  the  Association. 
The  following  extract  of  a  letter  written  by  Louis  C. 

96 


Ht  Cornell 

Karpinski,  the  champion  chess  player  of  the  Univer- 
sity at  that  time,  characterizes  well  the  devotion  of 
a  large  number  of  students  as  a  result  of  his  short 
service  : 

The  inspiring  thing  to  me  about  his  life  was  his  tremen- 
dous enthusiasm,  power,  and  cheer  under  his  sad  circum- 
stances. He  gave  an  example  of  how  to  treat  discourage- 
ments. 

Rose  walked  right  into  a  man's  life  with  his  first  greeting. 
There  was  perfect  sincerity  in  it,  and  when  he  said,  "  I  am 
glad  to  meet  you,"  he  meant  it,  and  you  knew  at  once  that  he 
meant  it.  Although  I  was  then  unconscious  of  it,  I  now  see 
that  he  had  taken  a  strong  hold  on  my  life,  aad  by  association 
with  him  I  was  being  directed  into  a  higher  plane  of  Christian 
living.  Rose  was  an  uncompromising  fighter  against  sin. 
"  We  will  cut  it  out  of  our  lives,  fellows,"  he  said,  and  cut  it 
out  he  did,  and  led  others  to  do  so.  He  was  able  to  bring 
Christ  near  in  prayer,  as  only  those  can  who  are  much  in 
prayer. 

Another   Cornell   student   wrote    soon   after   his 

death : 

One  Sunday  morning  in  his  office  he  spoke  to  me  about 
some  work.  There  were  several  extra  meetings  that  day,  and 
I  replied  that  if  I  undertook  the  work,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  give  up  my  extra  Sunday  hour  for  Bible  study  and  medita- 
tion. "  Are  you  going  to  chapel  ?  "  he  asked.  I  told  him,  yes. 
"  Cut  that  out,"  he  said,  "  rather  than  give  up  the  time  you 
spend  alone  with  God.  It  will  pay.  I  feel,"  he  continued, 
"  that  I  must  get  more  power  into  my  own  life,  and  I  am 
planning,  therefore,  to  take  some  day  this  week  and  spend  it 
all  alone  by  myself  somewhere  with  God  and  my  Bible.  I 
haven't  had  such  a  day  for  some  time,  but  I  must  get  my  life 

97 


Ifn  /iDemortam 

all   straightened   out."     Here  lay  one  of   the  secrets  of   his 
strong,  happy  life. 

On  the  day  following  his  death,  the  Cornell 
Daily  Sun  printed  a  review  of  his  life  and  work, 
which  ended  with  these  words : 

After  he  assumed  his  position  in  Barnes  Hall  on  September 
ist,  he  at  once  entered  into  the  work,  and  although  he  has 
been  here  but  four  months,  he  has  made  hosts  of  friends  and 
has  endeared  himself  not  only  to  the  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion but  to  the  entire  body  of  undergraduates.  He  was  a 
member  of  Beta  Theta  Pi  fraternity. 

The  body  was  accompanied  to  Beloit,  Wisconsin, 
for  burial  by  Mr.  R.  O.  Walter,  a  prominent  officer 
of  the  Cornell  Association  and  the  one  who  was 
with  him  most  closely,  not  only  during  the  fall  as  an 
associate  secretary,  but  also  during  the  days  at  the 
hospital.  The  burial  was  from  the  college  chapel 
of  Beloit  College,  in  which  as  a  student  he  had 
attended  so  many  services.  Those  who  spoke  were 
President  Eaton  of  the  college,  R.  O.  Walter  of 
Cornell  University,  and  Rev.  George  R.  Leavitt,  who 
was  Mr.  Rose's  pastor  during  his  last  year  in  college. 

The  pall-bearers  were  four  senior  members  of  the 
Beta  fraternity,  Ralph  A.  Buell,  L.  W.  Ensign,  J.  E. 
Simmons  and  William  C.  Wheeler;  the  present 
president  of  the  College  Association,  Norman  W. 
Hollenbeck ;  and  Mr.  Walter  of  Cornell.  The  hon- 
orary pall-bearers  were  classmates  of  the  deceased  : 

98 


Ht  Cornell 

Messrs.  E.  J.  Reitler  and  John  A.  White,  of  Beloit, 
and  Rev.  Arthur  A.  Amy,  of  Oregon,  Illinois. 

Only  a  few  months  after  this,  word  was  received 
of  the  sudden  death  of  his  wife  at  her  home  in 
Beloit.  Both  had  suffered  much  during  their  mar- 
ried life,  but  they  had  faith  in  a  common  Master. 
A  prayer  written  by  Mrs.  Rose  during  the  year 
spent  by  her  husband  in  travel  has  fortunately  been 
preserved.  It  shows  the  intensity  of  her  love  for 
Christ  and  the  work  they  had  been  permitted  to  do. 

Heavenly  Father,  to  be  Thy  child,  to  be  Thy  handmaiden 
ready  to  run  any  errand  for  Thee,  to  touch  but  the  hem  of 
Thy  garment,  no  joy  can  be  so  great.  Fill  my  heart  with  Thy 
Holy  Spirit,  give  me  strength  —  physical  and  mental  and 
spiritual  —  to  live  to  Thy  glory.  Thou  keepest  me  close  to 
Thee,  but  Oh !  may  it  be  for  Thy  glory,  O  Christ.  Give  me 
the  strength  always  to  say,  "  Thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done." 
Bless  Thy  children  in  all  the  world.  Bless  Thy  "  little  ones  " 
everywhere,  and  Oh,  may  we  have  a  small  part  in  telling  them 
of  Thee.  Bless  the  college  young  men,  and  may  the  meet- 
ings to-morrow  be  full  of  Thee.  I  thank  Thee  for  this  Sab- 
bath day  —  bringing  so  much  of  rest  and  light  and  peace. 
I  thank  Thee  for  Thy  presence.     Abide  with  me. 

The  closing  words  of  the  article  in  The  Inter- 
collegian  of  February,  1901,  are  fittingly  used  at 
this  point  of  Rose's  life  story :  "  Such  a  life  is  not 
measured  by  years.  One  thinks  again  of  the  words 
on  the  tombstone  of  D.  L.  Moody,  '  He  that  doeth 
the  will  of  God  abideth  forever.' " 


99 


In  flDemorfam 


CHAPTER  VII 

CORNELL     MEMORIAL     SERVICE 

IT  is  difficult  to  describe  the  feeling  of  loss  sus- 
tained by  the  Cornell  Association  and  the 
most  interested  friends  in  the  faculty  and 
among  the  graduates.  The  hopes  of  those  who 
had  gone  to  great  sacrifice  in  order  that  a  full-time 
secretary  might  be  employed,  had  seemingly  been 
entirely  dashed  to  the  ground.  The  leaders  of  the 
Association  themselves  found  it  difficult  to  recover 
from  the  blow.  The  officers,  however,  quickly  ral- 
lied and  made  temporary  provision  by  putting  one 
of  their  own  number,  Mr.  Benjamin  R.  Andrews, 
into  the  office  as  general  secretary.  Under  his  able 
leadership  a  most  successful  year  of  work  was  com- 
pleted. 

Small  informal  meetings  were  held  in  Barnes 
Hall,  attended  by  those  who  desired  to  give  ex- 
pression to  their  gratitude  for  the  influence  which 
Rose  had  exerted  over  them.  The  idea  was  con- 
ceived at  once  of  having  a  memorial  service,  to 
which  the  students  of  the  University  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty  should  be  invited.  The  date 
chosen  was  Sunday,  February  3,  1901. 

About  six  hundred  students  were  present  at  this 
meeting,  over  which  Mr.  Andrews  presided.  The 
100 


Cornell  ZlDemorial  Service 

spirit  of  the  occasion  while  tempered  by  a  feeling  of 
sorrow  because  of  the  great  loss  sustained,  was 
marked  by  elements  of  joy  and  triumphant  faith. 
The  four  addresses  are  given  here  in  full : 


BENJAMIN    R.   ANDREWS 

On  behalf  of  the  Cornell  University  Christian 

Association 

The  purpose  of  this  meeting  I  need  scarcely  state. 
We  are  met  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  and  love  to 
a  friend  who  has  gone  out  from  our  midst. 

When  Mr.  Rose  came  among  us  at  the  beginning 
of  the  fall  term,  he  came  as  the  graduate  of  a  West- 
ern college  and  one  four  years  removed  from  under- 
graduate days.  Could  there  have  been  any  question 
as  to  whether  he  would  "  take  "  with  Cornell  under- 
graduates, it  was  swept  away,  as  one  by  one  we  met 
him.  He  was  a  man  so  open-hearted,  that  to  meet 
him  once  was  to  know  him  ever  afterward  as  a 
friend,  so  much  was  there  about  the  man  to  endear 
him  to  those  with  whom  he  mingled.  He  was  an 
athlete  of  giant  frame,  but  as  gentle  as  a  child. 
Keen  of  intellect,  and  of  no  mean  mental  parts,  he 
possessed  the  traits  that  mark  the  real  man.  He 
was  frank,  fearless  and  sincere.  His  was  a  life 
pure  without  and  within,  a  life  aggressively  right- 
eous, one  that  held  itself  to  the  right  and  the  pure 
and  the  true,  and  that  brought   others  to  its   own 


Un  ZlDemoriam 

high  standards.  He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  one- 
ness of  aim.  His  whole  life  and  energies  were 
given  to  the  glorifying  of  God  and  the  helping  of 
others  to  glorify  him.  His  two  maxims,  had  he 
lived  by  maxims,  might  well  have  been  these,  "  This 
one  thing  I  do"  and  "seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness."  But  he  lived  by  more 
than  maxims,  and  this  leads  me  to  speak  of  his  re- 
ligious life. 

It  was  no  dry  creed,  no  mere  principles  of  theol- 
ogy, but  a  wonderful  transference  of  the  life  of 
the  Master  into  the  life  of  a  college  man  of  to-day. 
It  was  because  he  lived  as  he  believed,  and  put  into 
action  the  principles  he  professed,  that  Rose  gained 
such  a  hold  on  us  and  on  our  lives.  In  his  living 
there  was  emphasized  the  importance  of  each  ele- 
ment of  the  trinity  of  body,  mind,  and  spirit ;  but 
the  deeper  things  of  the  spirit  ever  held  their  proper 
primacy.  He  had  time  each  day  for  Bible  study 
and  for  communion  with  his  Heavenly  Father; 
indeed,  he  seemed  ever  in  touch  with  a  Power  be- 
yond the  natural.  And  here  it  was  that  he  gained 
that  which  bore  him  up  in  his  dealings  with  men, 
that  strength  of  conviction,  that  invariable  cheerful- 
ness, that  eagerness  to  sacrifice  and  to  serve.  "  Tell 
the  friends  back  at  Cornell  that,  after  all,  it  is  service 
that  counts,"  was  the  message  his  aged  mother  sent 
to  us ;  and  service  it  was  more  than  anything  else 
perhaps,  which  marked  the  life  of  our  friend  —  ser- 

I02 


Cornell  /l&emorial  Service 

vice  dignified  and  glorified  in  that  it  was  inspired  by 
the  love  which  he  who  served  bore  for  the  Christ. 

A  word  as  to  Mr.  Rose's  relations  to  the  Chris- 
tian Association.  In  all  our  councils  and  com- 
mittees, his  thought  was  ever  for  the  success  of 
efforts  which  would  help  men  and  women  to  adjust 
their  relations  with  their  Heavenly  Father,  and  to 
measure  their  lives  by  His  standards.  He  intro- 
duced methods  of  work,  and  above  all  a  spirit  of 
work  which  will  continue  of  deep  import  to  student 
religious  activities  at  Cornell.  The  loss  which  the 
Association  sustains  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Rose  is  not 
to  be  measured  in  words.  Our  only  consolation  is 
to  be  found  in  his  practiced  belief  that  God  rules 
and  overrules  for  the  best  in  all  the  affairs  of  men. 

As  we  look  over  his  relations  to  the  Association, 
we  feel  that  we  of  the  Association  can  pay  no  higher 
tribute  to  his  life,  that  we  can  raise  him  no  more 
fitting  memorial  than  this,  —  that  we  consecrate 
ourselves  with  new  vigor  to  the  work  which  he  so 
well  began,  and  that  we  build  upon  the  foundations 
which  he  laid,  a  superstructure  as  fair  and  noble  as 
it  may  be  given  us  to  build.  As  we  think  of  his  life, 
so  pure,  so  helpful,  so  manly,  so  Christlike, 
each  man  and  woman  of  us,  whether  Association 
members  or  not,  joins,  I  am  sure,  in  the  determina- 
tion to  raise  himself  nearer  to  those  standards  which 
Rose  set  and  to  be  guided  by  that  Life  which  kept 
his  life  aright.  So  shall  he  find  his  true  memorial, 
103 


•ffn  /iDemortam 

one  within   our    hearts,  and  one   that   passeth  not 
away. 

PRESIDENT    J.   G.   SCHURMAN 
On  behalf  of  the  Faculty 

We  find  ourselves  this  afternoon  in  front  of  the 
most  impressive  fact  that  we  ever  face  in  our  ex- 
perience. It  is  an  old  saying  that  life  is  a  prepara- 
tion for  death.  I  do  not  know  that  this  is  the  whole 
truth  or  the  happiest  way  of  saying  it,  but  your 
hearts  bear  witness,  I  think,  that  there  is  no  other 
fact  which  is  so  momentous  or  that  makes  so  great 
an  impression  as  the  fact  of  death,  especially  of  a 
young  man. 

All  I  shall  try  to  do  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Rose  will 
be  to  record  as  I  recall  them,  two  or  three  impres- 
sions which  our  intercourse  left  vividly  upon  my 
mind.  It  is  difficult  to  describe  facts,  and  perhaps 
the  simpler  the  facts  the  harder  it  is  to  describe 
them,  and  when  emotions  get  the  better  of  us  we 
perhaps  indulge  in  exaggerations,  but  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  avoid  them  and  try  to  describe  as  accu- 
rately as  I  can  these  impressions  to  which  I  refer. 

Mr.  Rose  came  to  my  office  soon  after  reaching 
the  University,  to  talk  with  me  about  the  work  of  the 
Association.  I  was  very  much  interested  in  him. 
I  found  him  an  energetic  leader  in  the  work.  I 
thought,  as  I  recalled  the  man  within  the  last  twenty- 
four  hours,  that  he  had  conspicuous  organizing 
104 


Cornell  /iDemorial  Service 

abilities.  As  the  conversation  is  recalled,  I  remem- 
ber how  he  was  throwing  out  this  suggestion  or  that, 
that  he  would  probe  this  idea  and  that,  move  in  this 
direction  and  then  another,  and  get  my  judgment 
on  these  various  plans.  Well,  that  is  leadership, 
that  is  organizing  talent ;  and  I  think  he  had  it  in 
a  very  remarkable  degree. 

The  second  thought  which  I  recall  was  the  intense 
earnestness  of  the  man.  I  doubt  if  we  had  any  man 
or  woman  in  our  University  community  who  was  so 
much  in  earnest  as  Mr.  Rose  was.  He  may  have 
had  humor,  he  may  have  had  joviality,  but  he  acted 
as  though  life  was  a  probation  and  the  problems 
with  which  he  had  to  grapple  were  awfully  vital. 

The  third  thing  that  I  should  recall  was  the 
pronounced  Christian  character  of  the  man.  I  do 
not  think  we  nowadays  distinguish  between  those 
who  are  professedly  Christians  and  those  who  are 
not,  as  was  done  a  generation  ago,  but  we  cer- 
tainly recognize  that  there  are  different  types  even 
of  Christians.  There  are  men  who  are  like  Nicode- 
mus  and  come  to  the  Lord  by  night.  They  act  sus- 
piciously, perhaps  do  not  want  it  known.  There  are 
those  who,  if  they  are  not  morally  cowardly,  at  any 
rate  do  not  disturb  themselves  much  about  Chris- 
tianity.    Their  religion  is  unpronounced. 

Now  you  can  supply  in  your  own  consciousness 
what  I  have  not  time  to  say.  I  mention  only  the 
marked  features  of  Mr.  Rose's  character.      It  has 

i°5 


Un  /l&emoriam 

been  already  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Andrews  when  he 
spoke  of  his  aggressiveness.  I  should  say  he  was 
the  champion  of  pronounced  aggressive  Christianity. 
He  had  it  in  himself,  and  was  anxious,  desperately 
anxious,  that  every  one  else  should  enjoy  the  same 
great  truth. 

I  think  I  have  recalled  without  exaggeration,  be- 
cause I  am  not  capable  of  exaggerating,  these  three 
characteristics  of  the  man  whom  we  now  mourn  and 
the  character  which  I  think  we  all  revere.  I  cer- 
tainly hope  there  are  others  who  may  rise  up  here 
and  take  the  place  which  Mr.  Rose  has  left  vacant, 
and,  as  those  who  know  his  work  best  will  bear  me 
out  in  saying,  to  fill  the  place  which  he  has  left 
vacant  will  be  a  matter  of  very  great  difficulty. 
What  is  death  ?  Well,  what  is  life  ?  Perhaps,  after 
all,  the  most  we  can  say  is  this  :  that  our  friends  have 
gone  from  the  mystery  of  life  and  nature  into  the 
other  mystery  of  eternity,  and  one  is  scarcely  less  or 
more  mysterious  than  the  other. 


PROFESSOR    CHARLES    MELLEN   TYLER 

On  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Association 

The  Board  of  Trustees  have  feelingly  requested 
me  to  express  their  sorrow.  They  expected  with 
ardent  hope  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Rose,  and  the  vigor 
of  his  service,  his  sympathetic  interest  in  the  stu- 
dents, his  sagacity  in  the  management  of  the  some- 
106 


Cornell  /Ifcemorial  Service 

what  intricate  affairs  of  the  Association,  amply- 
vindicated  our  expectations. 

Certainly,  after  the  words  of  our  honored  Presi- 
dent of  the  University  and  the  President  of  the  As- 
sociation, little  remains  to  be  said.  I  think  at  first 
a  certain  confusion  comes  into  even  pious  thought 
in  face  of  the  mystery  of  a  young  man  being  taken 
away  who  is  on  the  threshold,  or  has  just  crossed 
the  threshold  of  life.  It  is  a  great  mystery,  but  per- 
haps we  regain  the  poise  of  our  faith  and  judgment 
when  we  take  the  larger  view  and  realize,  as  has 
just  been  intimated,  that  life  is  but  a  part  of  the 
great  whole,  that  it  is  but  the  vestibule  of  the 
mansion  of  God  which  extends  into  infinity.  It  is 
the  training  place  of  character  for  an  eternity  of 
communion  with  God  and  His  saints.  Death  is  al- 
ways a  sad  event  for  the  old  as  well  as  the  young, 
but  death  has  its  radiant  aspect.  Death,  after  all, 
is  rest  and  peace.  It  is  a  deliverance  of  the  finite 
self,  the  minute  self  into  the  larger  self  which  awaits 
us  in  communion  with  God  above.  It  is  the  freeing 
of  a  soul  into  infinite  liberty.  The  righteous  are 
with  God,  and  their  souls  can  feel  no  touch  of  evil. 

I  early  discerned  in  Mr.  Rose  a  remarkable  in- 
telligence. I  think  the  tribute  which  has  been  paid 
to  his  intelligence  is  not  exaggerated,  and  the  tribute 
which  has  been  paid  to  his  goodness,  I  think  is  not 
exaggerated.  The  old  maxim  is  sometimes  uttered  : 
"  No  man  is  as  good  as  we  think  he  is  or  as  bad  as 
107 


Hn  flDemoriam 

we  think  he  is."  If  I  were  to  make  an  exception  to 
that  maxim,  it  would  be  in  the  case  of  our  brother, 
who  seems  to  have  been  almost  if  not  quite  as  good 
as  I  thought  he  was.  That  for  me  is  his  eulogy. 
Mr.  Rose,  as  has  been  intimated,  did  not  desire  to 
penetrate  into  the  depths  of  theology.  After  all,  the 
knowledge  of  character  consists  not  so  much  in 
knowledge  of  the  niceties  of  doctrine  as  in  a  pure 
and  holy  life.  I  remember  that  the  omission  in  the 
New  Testament  of  all  those  opinions  and  proposi- 
tions which  are  held  essential  to  our  Christian  faith 
are  very  remarkable,  and  lead  us  to  the  inevitable  con- 
clusion that  the  Master  thought  more  of  him  who 
gave  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  disciple  or  who  ac- 
cepted the  kingdom  of  God  in  a  childlike  spirit. 
Sometimes  one  may  become  greater  in  the  moral  and 
spiritual  realm  of  effort  than  in  an  academic  sphere. 
Mr.  Rose  might  have  chosen  any  other  vocation, 
and  I  think  he  would  have  shone  in  any  department 
of  thought  and  action,  in  any  profession,  but  he 
chose  the  more  concrete  and  practical  course  of  life, 
and  who  shall  say  he  did  not  choose  the  better 
part  ?  It  seems  to  me  his  administration  has  been 
one  of  a  fundamental  character  and  has  a  quality  of 
permanence,  that  he  has  left  a  legacy  which  shall 
remain  to  us.  I  think  he  felt  that  the  great  object  of 
Christian  effort  and  the  object  of  all  institutions  of 
religion  and  of  religion  itself  is  to  make  men  good,  and 
that  the  surest  discipline  and  education  in  that  direc- 
108 


Cornell  /iDemortal  Service 

tion  is  the  contention  with  the  sin  which  easily 
besets  us  and  which  by  the  grace  and  strength  of 
God  we  may  overcome.  Mr.  Russell  Lowell  has 
said  somewhere  that  there  is  more  knowledge  to  be 
gained  in  the  struggle  with  one  temptation  than  in 
all  books  of  metaphysics. 

And  now  we  must  say  farewell  to  our  friend.  We 
have  felt  the  electrical  touch  of  his  life  upon  our 
own,  and  I  hope  that  we  may  take  from  his  bright 
example  encouragement  and  inspiration  for  the 
work  of  each  of  us  for  the  life  that  is  left  to  us. 

HARRY   WADE   HICKS1 
For  the  Graduates  of  the  Ufiiversity 

The  personal  characteristics  and  habits  of  a 
successful  man  will  ever  be  the  most  inspiring  sub- 
jects of  study  and  meditation.  Horace  W.  Rose 
was  a  success  in  the  highest  understanding  of  the 
term,  because  he  used  his  brief  life  for  the  service 
of  his  King,  and  counted  everything  which  did  not 
offer  him  opportunity  to  represent  his  Lord  to  young 
men  as  of  little  account  for  him.  He  believed  that 
to  be  a  Christian  was  the  greatest  fact  in  life. 
Therefore  he  lived  among  college  men  as  a  glorious, 
natural  and  conspicuously  effective  exponent  of 
Christian  manhood. 

1  As  revised  and  printed  in  The  Intercollegian,  February,  1903,  under 
the  title  "  Horace  W.  Rose,  Ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Court  of 
the  Individual  Heart." 

IO9 


tn  flDemortam 

The  causes  for  the  influence  exerted  by  Rose  are 
not  unknown.  But  the  spirit  in  which  he  constantly- 
worked,  and  the  habits  of  religious  service  formed, 
are  not  common  among  Christian  students.  His 
was  a  life  of  reality.  He  made  it  a  practice  to  do 
everything  as  he  believed  his  Lord  would  if  He 
were  in  his  place.  This  reality  of  Christian  living 
accounts  for  his  increasingly  victorious  battle  with 
his  own  sins.  He  knew  the  battlegrounds  of  col- 
lege men,  for  he  had  won  victories  on  them.  It 
is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  men  listened  to  his 
testimony  and  acted  on  his  recommendation  when, 
as  was  his  custom,  he  asked  them  to  become  dis- 
ciples of  his  Lord. 

Rose  had  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  polluting 
and  destructive  power  of  sin.  Every  form  of  sin 
prevailing  among  college  men  he  knew,  for  their 
blighting  and  corroding  effects  he  had  had  exposed 
to  his  gaze  hundreds  of  times  through  the  voluntary 
confession  of  men  fettered  by  sinful  habits.  No  sin 
escaped  his  treatment.  As  his  letters  and  papers 
are  reviewed,  it  is  apparent  that  he  called  for  a 
whole  abandonment  of  sin  when  a  man  became  a 
Christian.  After  one  visit  to  a  college  he  wrote, 
"I'm  tired  after  such  a  siege  of  personal  interview. 
Some  men  were  helped  to  begin  to  struggle.  Others 
are  entirely  cleaned  up."  In  another  college  he 
"  got  several  men  to  make  a  scientific  fight  to  over- 
come."    His  letters  abound  with  phrases,  in  which 


Cornell  Memorial  Service 

the  word  "  fire  "  and  "  burn  "  are  used,  showing  that 
he  longed  to  be  pure  himself,  and  to  have  the  last 
traces  of  sin  obliterated  from  men's  lives.  Without 
such  an  attitude  toward  impurity,  selfishness,  pride, 
drinking,  gambling,  and  the  other  temptations  of 
college  life,  no  man  can  expect  to  be  successful  in 
relating  men  to  Jesus  Christ  in  any  sense  that  may 
be  called  effectual  and  complete.  It  is  chiefly 
because  men  fail  to  recognize  the  completeness  of 
the  claims  of  Christ  that  so  many  efforts  to  prepare 
for  personal  work  end  before  the  interview  is  begun 
and  the  contact  formed. 

In  all  his  work  with  men  Rose  manifested  sym- 
pathy and  love.  These  virtues  he  ever  sought  to 
make  more  constant.  His  power  to  make  men  at 
ease  in  his  presence  when  the  secrets  of  the  heart 
were  laid  bare,  grew  year  by  year.  Many  a  man 
went  to  him  as  did  one  who  said,  "  You  helped  my 
chum  so  much  that  I've  come  too."  This  fixed 
attitude  was  hard  to  hold,  for  at  first  he  felt  little 
love  for  certain  types  of  men,  shrinking  more  from 
the  scoffer  and  would-be  infidel  than  the  man  who 
had  gone  into  the  grossest  forms  of  sin.  The  secret 
of  his  growth  in  this  respect  is  found  in  his  desire  to 
be  as  near  like  his  Lord  as  the  study  of  His  life  and 
time  for  practice  of  His  virtues  would  make  him. 
He  therefore  spent  much  time  in  Bible  study  and 
prayer.  His  private  papers  are  full  of  written 
prayers  revealing  the  most  intimate  fellowship  with 
in 


Hn  /IDemoriam 

the  Master  he  served.  Hundreds  of  men  to-day  out 
of  college  strive  to  love  men  as  Rose  did,  which  was 
as  his  Lord  loved. 

A  sense  of  opportunity  in  doing  personal  work  is 
essential.  Rose  made  opportunities.  In  four  days 
at  Leland  Stanford  he  had  four  hundred  conversa- 
tions with  as  many  men  alone.  He  talked  with  men 
in  the  shops,  the  laboratory,  the  dormitory,  on  the 
athletic  field,  and  on  the  street.  His  work  he  con- 
sidered to  be  of  the  supremest  importance.  And 
because  he  lived  among  men  engaging  in  every 
legitimate  enterprise  of  college  life,  he  was  always 
natural  in  his  approach  to  the  consideration  of  their 
personal  relationship  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  high 
valuation  placed  by  him  on  time  gave  him  his  acute 
sense  of  opportunity,  and  because  of  this  also  he 
was  frank,  quick  to  hear  and  sympathize,  most  direct 
in  his  dealing,  and  therefore  most  faithful  to  his 
friend  with  whom  he  talked.  It  required  confidence 
to  work  in  this  way,  but  the  confidence  was  not  of 
human  origin.  Rose  knew  Christ  well  enough  to 
realize  that  the  message  he  was  giving  to  college 
men  was  the  word  they  themselves  wanted  in  the 
depths  of  their  desires  to  hear. 

Another  characteristic  of  Rose  in  his  personal 
work  was  his  glorification  of  righteous  living.  There 
was  exhilaration  in  his  public  address  and  private 
conversation,  created  by  the  reality  of  his  message 
and  the  intensity  of    his    personal   friendship  with 


Cornell  flDemorial  Service 

Jesus.  He  had  ever  before  him  the  vision  of  a  col- 
lege where  all  the  men  were  fighting  winning  battles 
with  sin.  In  a  measure,  he  had  come  into  posses- 
sion of  the  enthusiasm  for  his  work  which  sustained 
Jesus  in  the  days  when  His  world-wide  conception 
of  the  Kingdom  was  rejected  by  the  people  of  His 
own  country,  and  imperfectly  understood  by  His  dis- 
ciples. Rose  was  jealous  of  his  Lord's  rights.  It 
grieved  him  deeply  when  men  uttered  words  profan- 
ing the  Master  whom  he  served  and  whose  character 
he  held  up  for  men  to  copy.  To  him  the  topic  of 
conversation  of  supreme  importance  was  the  char- 
acter of  his  "  King."  "  Make  Jesus  King  "  was  a 
phrase  which  rang  out  in  nearly  every  address. 
Because  he  lived  what  he  professed,  men  listened 
and  yielded  to  his  invitation  to  become  disciples  of 
Christ. 

But  the  secret  of  his  power  was  in  his  complete 
self  negation  and  the  presence  in  a  real  sense  of  his 
Lord's  spirit.  To  his  God  he  ascribed  all  the  power 
and  glory.  "  It  was  a  manifestation  of  divine 
power,"  he  wrote  when  ten  men  accepted  Christ  in 
personal  interviews  after  a  meeting.  In  another  let- 
ter he  said,  "  We  praise  God  for  the  breaking  down 
of  barriers,"  where  hard  feeling  between  several 
fraternities  had  kept  men  hitherto  from  participation 
in  religious  work.  Men  often  have  said  since  his 
death  that  they  were  not  able  to  resist  his  invitation 
to  be  Christians  because  of  the  appeal  made  by  his 
ii3 


fn  flDemortam 

character  and  spirit.  They  recognized  that  he,  too, 
had  been  with  Jesus. 

In  the  face  of  successes  which  would  have  led 
many  men  to  defeat  through  pride,  he  grew  in 
humility  and  child-like  faith.  After  a  campaign  of 
personal  work  in  a  western  university  when  many 
men  had  confessed  faith  in  Christ  for  the  first  time, 
he  wrote,  "One  marked  result  of  this  visit  is  the 
consciousness  of  the  fact  that  I've  a  battle  on.  I've 
got  to  be  more  humble."  In  another  letter  he  said 
that  merely  reporting  the  number  of  men  who  be- 
came active  Christians  caused  serious  temptation  to 
be  self-satisfied.  In  a  private  letter  shortly  before 
he  died,  when  illness  of  his  sainted  mother  and  his 
wife  weighed  heavily  on  his  heart,  he  wrote,  "  If 
there  is  one  thing  I  covet  from  my  friends,  it  is 
that  they  will  make  mention  of  my  need  before  the 
Heavenly  Father.  The  mean  little  temptations  get 
a  hold  on  a  fellow  before  he  knows  it,  insidious 
pride,  vainglory  and  satisfaction  over  things  accom- 
plished. Some  way  these  things  eat  their  way  in, 
and  we  are  prone  to  covet  the  praise  of  men  rather 
than  the  praise  of  God.  O  !  for  grace  to  keep  very 
low  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.,, 

What  Horace  Rose  was,  other  men  may  become. 
His  greatest  ambition  was  "  to  burn  a  path  of  light  " 
through  the  colleges  of  his  field.  He  led  hundreds 
of  college  men  to  Christ  in  one  year.  Many  more 
were  induced  to  join  the  Church.  Bible  classes 
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Cornell  rtDemorial  Service 

were  everywhere  reinforced  by  men  whose  spiritual 
habits  he  had  quickened.  Through  his  influence 
organized  personal  work  became  prevalent  through- 
out the  colleges  from  the  bounds  of  Illinois  to  the 
Pacific.  Hundreds  of  men  date  the  beginning  of  a 
victorious  life  from  private  talks  with  him.  Men  in 
large  numbers  are  now  preparing  for  missionary 
work  or  other  religious  callings  whose  choice  of  life 
work  was  guided  by  his  counsels.  "  He  went  about 
doing  good,  for  the  Lord  was  with  him."  He  recog- 
nized that  in  every  college  the  devil  is  consistent 
and  aggressive  in  his  warfare  against  the  best  m 
men's  lives.  This  fact,  coupled  with  the  belief  that 
Christ  had  commissioned  him  an  ambassador  to  the 
court  of  every  troubled  heart,  made  him  redeem  the 
hours  lest  his  Lord  come  and  find  him  idle.  May 
his  life  become  an  inspiration  to  an  army  of  men  to 
follow  in  his  footsteps  ! 


"5 


Un  /iDemoriam 


CHAPTER   VIII 

GENEVA    MEMORIAL    SERVICE 

THE  spirit  of  the  Lake  Geneva  Summer 
Conference  of  1901  was  deeply  enriched 
by  frequent  references  to  Rose  and  his 
work.  No  longer  was  his  merry  laugh  to  be  heard 
among  the  tents  along  the  shore.  While  the  red 
settees  near  "  Faculty  Row  "  were  occupied  each 
afternoon  by  other  counsellors,  the  memory  of  him 
added  new  solemnity  to  the  interviews  on  lifework. 

On  the  first  Sunday  evening  of  the  Conference, 
June  23,  a  memorial  service  was  held,  over  which 
Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  Senior  Student  Secretary  of  the 
International  Committee,  presided.  Several  dele- 
gates spoke  who  had  known  Rose  well  during  his 
eight  years  of  active  service  in  the  College  Associa- 
tion field.1  These  addresses  are  given  here  in 
full. 

LEROY  B.  SMITH 

General  Secretary-elect,  University  of  Wisconsin 

I  speak  thoughtfully  when  I  say  that  it  is  one  of  the 
greatest  blessings  of  my  life  that  I  was  able  to  associate  with 
Horace  Rose  for  three  months.  He  came  to  Cornell  in 
September,  and  died  on  the  tenth  of  January.     But  in  those 

1  The  positions  filled  by  the  speakers  whose  names  are  given  are  those 
held  by  them  during  the  summer  of  1901. 
Il6 


Geneva  flDemoriai  Service 

short  weeks  we  at  Cornell  learned  the  true  meaning  of  "  I  am 
glad  to  see  you."  When  that  was  quoted  first,  I  thought  of 
an  incident  that  occurred  last  fall  at  one  of  the  football 
games.  A  man  who  was  not  identified  with  the  Association 
and  was  not  a  Christian  went  to  the  game  with  another  friend 
of  mine.  They  were  looking  over  the  bleachers  for  a  seat 
when  he  saw  Rose,  and  said,  "  Let's  go  down  and  sit  with 
him."  Men  were  attracted  to  him,  for  he  always  had  a  smiling 
countenance  and  a  good  word.  He  was  not  a  long-faced, 
sober  Christian,  but  a  happy  Christian  every  week  and  every 
day  of  the  week.  What  impressed  me  most  was  his  great 
interest  in  individual  men.  He  did  not  organize  highly 
developed  religious  machinery.  But  his  first  thought  was  to 
reach  men. 

I  attended  five  or  six  sessions  of  his  personal  workers 
class  which  met  once  a  week  in  his  office.  Rose  knew  the 
Scriptures,  and  knew  what  it  meant  to  be  in  union  with 
God.  The  memorial  services  which  were  held  at  Cornell  in 
February  I  shall  never  forget.  Different  men  paid  their 
tributes  of  loving  words,  but  better  than  this  was  a  meeting 
held  a  few  days  later  where  seventy-five  of  the  men  who  had 
known  him  best  and  who  had  been  helped  by  him  in  some 
little  way  met  to  express  informally  their  tribute  of  love. 
These  and  scores  of  others  thanked  God  that  Rose  had  been 
called  to  Cornell. 

CHARLES  J.  EWALD 

General  Secretary,  University  of  Michigan 

It  is  one  of  the  blessed  privileges  of  my  life  to  have 
known  Rose  well  and  to  have  served  for  a  year  under  his 
leadership.  I  shall  never  forget  the  first  time  I  met  him. 
It  was  on  the  day  when  I  entered  the  University  as  a  fresh- 
man. As  I  went  into  the  Association  Building  he  reached 
out  his  hand  and  gave  me  that  shake  which  only  you  who 
Ii7 


fn  flDemoriam 

have  had  it  appreciate.  "  Ewald,  I  am  glad  to  see  you."  By 
his  manner  of  saying  it  I  knew  that  from  that  time  forth  I 
possessed  a  friend.  He  was  the  biggest-hearted  man  I 
ever  knew.  He  had  more  love  for  men,  however  deep  they  may 
have  been  in  sin,  than  any  other  I  have  ever  met.  I  have 
often  seen  him  go  into  the  laboratory  and  spend  a  moment 
with  each  man.  How  glad  we  were  when  we  saw  Rose 
coming  our  way ! 

During  his  second  year  as  Secretary  at  the  University 
sixteen  men  were  led  to  Christ,  and  over  sixty  men  were  led 
to  clean  up  their  lives  from  profanity  and  other  sins.  His 
work  was  a  quiet  one,  —  one  that  profoundly  impressed  stu- 
dents and  faculty  alike.  He  was  unselfish,  humble,  sincere, 
and  had  intense  love  for  souls.  He  made  Jesus  Christ  King, 
and  allowed  the  Holy  Spirit  to  take  complete  possession  of 
his  life. 

GEORGE  W.  LEAVITT 

Travelling  Secretary,  Student  Volunteer  Movement 

When  the  news  of  the  death  of  Rose  reached  me,  I  knew 
that  I  had  lost  ra  friend  who  did  more  to  inspire  me  to  per- 
sonal work  than  any  other  living  person.  When  I  first  came 
to  college,  a  friend  of  mine  brought  Rose  to  meet  me  in  my 
room.  As  he  came  in  he  said,  "  Well,  old  fellow,  I  am  glad 
to  see  you.  Do  you  sing  ?  We  have  a  Glee  Club  here,  and  if 
you  don't  play  football  we  have  a  good  track  team."  When 
I  learned  later  that  he  was  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  a  permanent  friend  had  been  won  to 
the  organization. 

After  a  short  time  I  heard  that  twenty-two  men  had  been 
won  to  Christ.  I  asked  my  friend  how  it  had  happened.  It 
was  learned  that  night  after  night  he  had  taken  men  in  groups 
of  two  or  three,  out  of  town  into  the  country  under  the  trees 
by  the  roadside,  and  had  talked  with  them  of  Christ.  Of 
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Geneva  /iDemorial  Service 

the  twenty-five  men  thus  interviewed,  twenty-two  began  the 
Christian  life  on  the  Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges. 

This  story  is  told  of  an  effort  made  by  Rose  to  lead  a 
prominent  athlete  into  the  Christian  life.  The  man  had  re- 
fused to  talk  with  him  about  the  Bible.  Rose  said,  "  If  I  can 
beat  you  in  a  race,  will  you  let  me  talk  about  it  ?  "  The 
challenge  having  been  accepted,  Rose  set  the  day,  and  then 
proceeded  to  train  for  the  event  throughout  two  weeks,  in 
the  gymnasium.  "  We  ran  the  first  quarter  at  a  clip  I  had 
never  known.  The  second  was  still  faster.  My  distance  in 
college  was  only  a  quarter,  but  the  third  lap  was  run  at  a  pace 
to  kill.  When  we  finished,  I  only  knew  that  I  had  won." 
As  a  result  of  the  talk  won  in  this  practical  way,  the  athlete 
entered  the  Christian  life. 

"  Have  you  had  a  vision  of  the  King  in  his  beauty  ?  "  he 
asked  of  this  athlete.  Rose  had  had  this  vision,  and  it  was 
the  secret  of  his  life. 

JOHN  C.  PRALL 

State  College  Secretary  of  Iowa 

I  met  Mr.  Rose  for  the  first  time  at  this  Conference  in  '95, 
while  he  was  a  student  at  Beloit.  There  was  nothing  special 
by  which  I  remembered  him.  In  fact,  I  did  not  remember  him 
at  all.  From  here,  I  went  back  to  the  University  of  Iowa, 
as  a  new  student,  and  for  one  reason  or  another,  being 
a  freshman,  I  became  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  Christ. 
The  next  year  was  a  fruitless  one,  so  far  as  God's  Kingdom 
was  concerned  in  my  own  life. 

During  the  next  summer,  unknown  to  me,  Rose  was  called 
to  be  the  General  Secretary  of  the  Association  at  Iowa.  As 
I  entered  the  University  the  next  fall,  and  came  into  the  As- 
sociation Building,  there  came  the  hearty  greeting  which 
many  of  you  are  familiar  with,  "  Hello,  old  fellow,  I  am  glad 
119 


Un  /iDemoriam 

to  see  you."  It  struck  me  forcibly  that  he  remembered  me 
during  the  year  which  had  elapsed  since  we  met. 

It  was  Rose's  chief  joy  to  be  among  men  as  one  that 
served,  not  among  the  ones  who  were  easily  won.  Again 
and  again  he  expressed  his  regret  that  the  details  of  the  As- 
sociation kept  him  from  being  used  in  winning  men  to  Christ. 
The  Association  called  me  to  a  position  which  I  refused 
because  of  an  inconsistent  life.  It  was  Rose  who  asked  me 
to  be  fitted  for  the  position,  and  it  was  only  after  weeks  that 
I  decided  to  accept.  I  suppose  there  is  no  man  who  has  ever 
been  in  the  University  of  Iowa  so  well  remembered  as  Mr. 
Rose.  This  is  so  not  because  of  his  enthusiasm  in  athletics,  or 
in  the  work  of  the  Glee  Club,  but  because  of  their  personal 
relations  with  him. 

Recently  I  was  talking  with  a  man  in  the  city  of  Des 
Moines,  one  of  the  most  godless  men  of  the  institution. 
When  I  said,  "  Rose  is  dead,"  he  was  as  shocked  as  we  have 
been.  Rose  had  invited  this  man  to  give  up  his  sinful  life, 
and  he  had  refused.  He  gave  this  testimony,  however,  that 
Rose  had  been  to  him  the  closest  friend  he  had  ever  known. 

WILLIAM  B.  PETTUS 

General  Secretary,  University  of  Missouri 

In  the  fall  of  1898  I  went  down  to  our  State  Convention 
at  Kansas  City  not  a  Christian.  The  first  man  to  impress  me 
was  Rose.  He  led  the  college  session  the  first  morning. 
That  afternoon  (it  was  the  twelfth  of  November)  he  came  to 
me  privately  and  told  me  something  about  the  Christian  life 
and  about  Christ  as  he  knew  Him.  He  asked  me  if  I  did 
not  want  Him,  and  I  told  him  promptly  "  No."  But  I  did. 
No  man  ever  knew  Rose  without  wanting  to  know  his 
Master. 

About  a  month  after  that  I  accepted  Christ,  and  wrote  to 
Rose  about  it.  The  letter  he  wrote  back  had  more  love  in  it 
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Geneva  flDemorial  Service 

than  any  I  had  ever  received.  I  could  not  understand  why  a 
man  should  care  for  one  whom  he  had  seen  but  once.  Now 
I  know  that  the  reason  was  the  presence  of  Christ's  spirit  in 
Rose. 

The  next  fall  when  he  was  making  a  tour  among  the  col- 
leges, he  came  to  our  institution.  I  was  then  working  in  the 
Association,  had  heard  about  personal  work,  and  knew  a  little 
of  what  it  was.  I  had  gotten  the  courage  to  go  to  three  or 
four  of  my  personal  friends  and  speak  to  them  about  Christ. 
But  the  idea  of  being  interested  in  every  man  just  because  he 
was  a  man,  and  because  he  did  not  know  Christ  and  it  was 
possible  for  me  to  present  Christ  to  him,  had  never  occurred 
to  me.  While  Rose  was  there  I  "  got  conviction."  During 
the  three  days  of  his  visit  he  talked  personally  with  over  two 
hundred  men  about  the  Master.  You  might  wonder  how  he 
could  speak  to  so  many  without  offending  some.  But  men 
never  got  offended  when  Rose  spoke,  and  twenty  accepted 
Christ  during  his  visit. 

At  our  next  State  Convention,  on  the  twelfth  of  November, 
1899,  I  went  to  Rose  and  told  him  that  I  was  facing  the 
question  of  going  to  the  foreign  field.  It  was  natural  for  any 
man  to  go  to  Rose  when  he  was  facing  a  question.  I  did 
not  know  what  to  do.  He  said,  "  Do  just  what  God  wants 
you  to."  And  that  was  the  natural  thing.  It  had  power 
with  me  because  that  was  what  Rose  was  doing.  So  I  de- 
cided to  go  to  the  foreign  field. 

Rose  helped  me  three  times,  and  then  he  died.  But  his  life 
has  helped  me  since,  especially  during  the  times  when  I  have 
been  tempted  and  tried.  The  thought  of  him  and  what  he 
would  do  under  similar  circumstances  led  me  to  know  what 
Christ  wanted  me  to  do.  Rose  did  the  will  of  God  through 
the  strength  which  God  gave  him,  and  thereafter  I  knew  that 
it  was  possible  for  me  to  have  the  same  strength. 


121 


Hn  /iDemoriam 

L.  E.  HARTER 
General  Secretary,  Stanford  University 

The  first  International  Secretary  whom  I  ever  met  was 
Mr.  Rose.  So  deep  and  clear  is  the  impression  of  the  spirit 
and  method  of  work  for  college  men  which  he  left  upon  me 
at  that  time,  that,  notwithstanding  subsequent  experience  and 
instruction,  it  remains  to  this  day  the  ideal  of  all  my  work 
and  ambition,  because  it  is  the  spirit  and  method  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Rose  studied  to  make  his  presence  bear  the  impress 
of  Christ  rather  than  his  own  personality.  So  nearly  was  the 
mind  in  him  that  was  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  to  know  him  was 
to  have  a  new  vision  of  the  Master.  His  power  lay  in  his 
ability  to  translate  Christ  into  terms  of  human  experience. 
This  explains  why  the  impress  he  left  upon  men  was  so  deep 
and  lasting,  why  to  be  with  him  was  so  inspiring. 

It  was  my  fortune  to  meet  Mr.  Rose  upon  his  arrival  at 
our  University.  I  had  never  seen  him  previous  to  this. 
Before  going  to  the  depot  I  was  a  little  anxious  for  fear  I 
should  miss  him.  So  I  went  to  one  of  the  boys  who  knew 
him  in  order  to  get  a  description  of  the  visitor.  "Well," 
said  my  friend,  "  pick  out  the  biggest  man  with  the  biggest 
smile."  I  expressed  myself  as  trusting  I  should  find  him. 
"  Yes,  you'll  have  no  trouble,"  chipped  in  the  man  on  whom 
Rose  had  left  his  impression  as  he  did  on  every  man  he 
met :  "  he'll  know  you,  if  you  don't  recognize  him.  He  has 
an  instinct  for  Association  men  ! " 

At  the  Pacific  Grove  Conference  of  May,  1900,  he  was  the 
centre  of  the  jollity  and  the  inspiration  of  the  spiritual  life. 
At  the  Association  sessions,  when  Mr.  Rose  presented  the 
methods  of  work  for  students,  and  especially  that  subject 
which  was  ever  nearest  to  his  heart,  personal  work,  there 
seemed  to  be  an  almost  sensible  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
brooding  over  the  men.  This  at  least  was  the  way  that  the 
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Geneva  /IDemorial  Service 

men  who  were  close  to  Christ  and  close  to  Rose  accounted  for 
the  power  of  that  hour.  An  outsider  said  of  one  of  these 
sessions,  "  His  words  rose  nearer  pure  oratory  than  anything 
I  have  heard  for  many  a  year."  To  us  who  knew  Mr.  Rose, 
his  rare  power  was  not  unaccounted  for,  for  even  in  the 
midst  of  the  large  responsibilities  of  the  summer  conference 
he  found  two  and  even  three  hours  a  day  to  be  alone  with 
God  in  prayer  and  the  study  of  His  Word. 

While  at  Stanford  University,  Mr.  Rose,  in  company  with 
various  men  of  the  Association,  visited  during  his  four  days' 
stay  over  four  hundred  men  personally  in  their  rooms,  in  the 
laboratories,  on  the  baseball  field,  in  the  gymnasium,  in  the 
fraternity  houses,  and,  in  fact,  every  place  where  men  were  to 
be  found.  The  beginning  of  the  change  of  sentiment  on  the 
part  of  the  student  body,  which  before  this  time  had  been  an 
avowed  hostility  towards  the  Association,  is  marked  very 
distinctly  by  this  visit.  Men  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  kind  of 
manhood  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  stands  for, 
and  it  could  not  but  appeal  strongly  to  them. 

During  the  time  that  Mr.  Rose  was  at  the  University,  it 
was  my  privilege  to  accompany  him  on  his  tours  through  the 
men's  rooms  at  night.  On  the  way  back  to  the  lodge  where 
he  was  staying,  and  after  the  night's  work,  we  never  failed  to 
stop  at  the  gymnasium  steps  for  prayer.  It  was  Saturday 
night.  The  next  evening  Mr.  Rose  was  to  address  the  men 
and  women  in  the  chapel.  We  were  in  great  need  of  money 
to  send  men  to  the  summer  conference.  Just  as  we  ap- 
proached the  gymnasium  he  said,  "  Harter,  old  fellow,  how 
much  money  have  you  faith  for  to-night  ? " — "  Not  very  much," 
I  replied.  "  Well,  I  have  faith  for  $30,"  he  said  assuredly. 
"  I  admire  your  faith,  Rose,  but  you  don't  know  the  close, 
fistedness  of  our  students  and  their  hardness  to  such  appeals." 
He  prayed  for  $30.  I  couldn't.  The  next  evening  after  his 
talk  he  asked  for  subscriptions.  My  heart  was  heavy  with 
the  rebuke,  "  Oh  ye  of  little  faith,"  when  I  counted  up  $42, 
123 


Un  flDemortam 

as  the  slips  came  in.     "  According  to  your  faith  be  it  done 
unto  you  "  has  lived  for  me  since  that  night. 


E.  T.  COLTON 

International  Student  Secretary  for  the  West 

The  feature  of  this  service  that  has  been  impressing  me 
most,  is  that  no  word  of  eulogy  has  been  pronounced.  We 
have  been  hearing  the  story  of  life.  It  has  not  been  neces- 
sary to  raise  the  voice,  but  of  the  heart  we  have  been  able  to 
hear  and  be  stirred.  His  life  has  weighed  with  us  because  of 
his  union  with  Christ. 

Any  one  who  heard  his  addresses  must  have  been  im- 
pressed with  the  constant  reference  to  Jesus  Christ.  Since 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  never  got  any  farther 
away  from  Christ  than  he  was  in  his  addresses,  we  must  be 
led  to  see  why  the  same  impressions  are  burning  in  the 
hearts  of  men  here.  The  universal  testimony  to  his  life  is 
that  men  all  over  his  trail  were  shamed  by  him  into  being 
servants  of  Christ.  His  life  was  one  of  tirelessness  and  utter 
absence  of  self-satisfaction.  I  happen  to  know  that  his 
policy  as  he  entered  the  work  of  the  secretaryship  the  past 
year  was  that  one  man  a  day  might  be  led  to  Christ  through- 
out his  entire  service  with  the  Committee.  His  expectation 
was  fulfilled.  On  one  occasion  I  met  him  as  he  was  starting 
out  on  a  trip.  He  said,  "  I  have  asked  the  Lord  for  twenty 
men."  When  he  returned  later  he  carried  the  names  of 
twenty  men  in  his  note-book. 

At  one  of  the  State  Conventions  an  incident  occurred  which 
showed  how  he  always  sought  opportunities  to  teach  a  lesson 
in  the  Christian  life.  It  was  Sunday  after  the  quiet-hour 
meeting  in  the  lobby  of  the  Association  Building.  The  dele- 
gates were  scattered  about  conversing.  A  little  fellow  from 
the  street  came  into  the  room  selling  carnations.  Several 
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men  were  buying  flowers,  but  Rose  did  not.  As  the  lad  came 
up  to  him  he  said,  "  What  would  you  think  of  me  if  I  should 
go  out  on  the  street  to-day  and  buy  a  horse  ? "  The  boy 
looked  up  in  surprise,  and  Rose  saw  that  he  did  not  under- 
stand. Quickly  he  said,  *  What  do  you  do  with  your 
money  ?  "  The  little  fellow  replied,  "  I  give  it  to  my  mother." 
"  All  right,"  he  said ;  "  here  is  your  money,  but  I  don't  want 
your  flowers."  He  was  always  seeking  opportunities  to  teach 
such  lessons. 

In  one  institution  he  went  into  a  room  and  found  a  Bible 
spread  apart  and  nailed  through  with  a  great  spike  as  a  dec- 
oration. To  the  man  who  occupied  the  room  he  said,  "  The 
first  thing  I  am  going  to  do,  old  fellow,  is  to  take  that  Bible 
down."  To  which  came  the  reply,  "  You  will  have  to  take 
me  down  first."  Rose  said,  "  I  can  take  down  any  man  who 
has  not  more  manhood  than  to  do  a  thing  like  that,"  and  in 
his  good-natured  way  he  threw  him.  The  man  got  up,  and  of 
his  own  accord  took  the  Bible  down. 

Another  characteristic  that  impressed  me  was  the  joy  of 
his  life.  Always  he  seemed  to  be  seeking  for  burdens.  It 
did  not  make  any  difference  where  he  was,  for  he  was  always 
helping  men.  As  we  rode  up  on  the  train  one  day  we  passed 
a  funeral  procession.  Rose  said,  "  It  always  depresses  me 
when  I  see  a  funeral  until  I  know  whether  the  deceased  was 
saved." 

A  year  ago  at  the  lifework  meeting  with  the  Student  Vol- 
unteers he  said,  "  My  reason  for  wishing  to  go  to  the  foreign 
field  is  because  the  burdens  and  difficulties  will  drive  me 
nearer  Jesus."  Burdens  added  ten  years  to  his  life.  Never- 
theless one  student  said,  "  This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a 
Christian  who  was  happy." 

The  last  trait  of  his  life  about  which  I  wish  to  speak  is  his 
humility.  One  of  our  witnesses  this  afternoon  has  spoken  of 
the  reports  which  he  sent  in  giving  the  number  of  men  won 
to  Christ.     In  a  conversation  with  him  he  said  once,  "  I  do  not 

I25 


Un  /iDemortam 

want  to  put  those  things  in.     I  am  not  in  this  work  to  have 
results  counted." 

And  so  we  find  ourselves  wondering  again  that  the  life  was 
cut  off  so  soon  in  its  usefulness.  Yet  it  was  a  finished  work, 
and  I  know  that  the  message  he  would  give  us  if  he  were 
here  to-day  would  be  that  we  should  not  glorify  men,  but  that 
we  should  go  out  from  here  as  did  those  men  who  went  from 
the  Mount  after  the  vision  of  Christ,  "  seeing  no  man  save 
Jesus  only." 

JOHN  R.  MOTT 

About  the  hardest  experience  I  have  ever  had  in  college 
work  was  resigning  myself  to  the  withdrawal  of  Rose  from 
our  ranks.  It  was  only  when  it  became  absolutely  necessary 
because  of  the  state  of  his  wife's  health  that  he  gave  up  the 
travelling-work,  and  I  yielded  to  the  inevitable.  There  was 
some  compensation  in  that  he  went  to  my  old  university,  — 
Cornell. 

I  do  not  trust  myself  to  add  any  personal  testimony  after 
what  we  have  heard  to-day.  I  am  constrained  to  give  what 
seems  to  me  the  result  of  all  to  which  we  have  listened.  It 
is  not  the  magnitude  of  man's  service  which  is  to  count  at  the 
last  day.  It  is  not  the  length  of  his  life  nor  the  reputation 
that  he  has  acquired  which  will  tell  at  that  time.  The  im- 
portant fact  will  be  whether  he  has  finished  the  work  to  which 
God  has  called  him,  or  not.  Christ  was  able  to  say  at  the 
end  of  his  life  at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  "  I  have  glorified  Thee 
on  the  earth,  having  accomplished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest 
me  to  do."  David  Brainerd  left  as  deep  a  mark  on  this  world 
as  any  man  that  ever  lived,  and  he  died  at  thirty-three.  Henry 
Martyn  has  left  a  blessed  mark  on  India  and  Persia.  Near 
the  close  of  his  short  life  he  said,  "  Now  let  me  burn  out  for 
God,"  and  he  did  so  at  almost  identically  the  same  age,  — 
thirty-three.  Rose  was  another  young  man  that  died  at  about 
126 


Geneva  flDemoriai  Service 

the  age  of  twenty-seven.  After  what  has  been  said  to-day 
does  any  one  question  that  Colton  is  right  when  he  says,  "  He 
lived  a  finished  life  "  ?  May  the  ambition  take  strong  hold  of 
us  to  finish  the  work  that  God  has  called  us  into  the  world 
to  do! 


I27 


In  flDemoriam 


CHAPTER   IX 

OTHER    TRIBUTES 

MANY  who  belonged  to  Rose's  innermost 
circle  of  friends  have  written  letters  con- 
taining their  expression  of  sorrow  at  his 
death.  Mr.  Am.  S.  Allen,  who  had  met  Rose  at 
the  Pacific  Grove  Student  Conference  during  his 
year  of  service  as  International  Secretary,  writes : 

We  were  together  for  the  better  part  of  twenty  days,  that's 
all,  and  yet  no  man  I  ever  met  either  for  a  longer  or  for  a 
shorter  period  influenced  me  more.  Just  why  I  cannot  tell. 
I  am  sure  it  was  not  because  of  anything  he  said  to  me.  It 
was  his  general  attitude  towards  me.  Since  meeting  him  he 
has  been  my  ideal  of  a  Christian  man.  There  was  no  halo 
on  his  head,  and  nothing  that  awed  me.  I  hadn't  known  him 
for  an  hour  when  he  tried  to  put  me  into  a  dark  closet  in  the 
San  Francisco  Association  Building.  One  of  my  most  vivid 
mental  pictures  is  of  him  standing  in  the  coacher's  box  in  a 
game  of  ball  which  the  faculty  had  with  the  students,  yelling 
like  a  Comanche  Indian,  and  a  smile  so  broad  that  he  could 
whisper  in  each  ear.  He  was  a  great  mixer,  but  his  life  was 
shot  through  and  through  with  the  spirit  of  the  Master.  One 
came  away  from  association  with  him  conscious  that  he  had 
been  with  Jesus  and  learned  of  Him. 

No  feature  of  his  service  among  the  college  men 
of  the  Pacific  Coast  left  so  deep  an  impression  as 
his  work    at   the  Pacific    Coast    Conference.     His 
128 


©tbet  Uributes 

talks  on  personal  work,  given  on  several  occasions 
throughout  the  gathering,  seem  to  have  won  for  him 
the  devotion  of  all  the  men.  "  I  can  see  him  still," 
says  Reno  Hutchinson,  a  well-known  athlete  on  the 
coast,  "  with  the  characteristic  sidewise  shake  of  the 
head  as  he  drove  home  the  responsibility  that  each 
man  had  for  helping  his  neighbor." 

Ivan  B.  Rhodes,  General  Secretary  of  the  Asso- 
ciation at  the  University  of  California  during  1903, 
writes  of  this  same  Conference  : 

He  left  the  stamp  of  his  life  upon  the  students  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  as  no  other  man  has  done.  At  the  Conference 
conducted  in  May,  1900,  his  intense  earnestness  and  his  deep 
love  for  men  awakened  the  representatives  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  colleges  to  a  new  sense  of  their  responsibility  as  stew- 
ards of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

A  number  of  the  students  were  obliged  to  leave  the  Con- 
ference a  few  days  before  its  close  to  take  the  Federal  census 
in  the  slums  of  San  Francisco.  Rose  was  especially  anxious 
that  the  sudden  change  from  the  high  plane  of  living  which 
we  had  been  enjoying  to  the  unpleasant  and  degrading  sur- 
roundings of  the  city  should  not  weaken  the  spiritual  uplift 
of  the  Conference.  A  group  of  men  who  were  leaving  in- 
vited Rose  to  meet  with  them  in  prayer  to  this  end.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  impressive  meetings  it  has  been  my  privilege 
to  be  in.  As  Rose  prayed,  every  man  seemed  to  realize  the 
presence  of  a  living  God,  —  Rose's  God.  Many  of  the  men 
had  tears  in  their  eyes  as  they  arose  from  their  knees. 
I  had  been  a  Christian  but  a  short  time  when  I  first  met 
Rose,  and  was  very  much  amazed  and  interested  to  find  a 
man  who  could  talk  so  earnestly  about  his  Master  one  min- 
ute, and  be  the  leader  in  a  "  rough  house  "  the  next. 
129 


Hn  flDemoriam 

The  following  testimonial  was  received  from  H.  J. 
McCoy,  General  Secretary  of  the  San  Francisco 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  : 

It  was  my  very  good  fortune  to  have  the  personal  friend- 
ship of  Horace  W.  Rose  for  several  years,  and  to  learn  by 
personal  contact  of  his  intense  passion  for  souls.  No  joy 
could  come  into  his  life  so  great  as  that  of  leading  a  man  into 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  He  touched  for  righteousness  the  stu- 
dent life  of  this  country,  and  nowhere  was  he  more  successful 
in  the  winning  of  men  than  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  His  manly, 
self-sacrificing,  and  uncompromising  Christian  life  made  him  a 
power  in  the  hands  of  God  in  the  presentation  of  a  personal 
Saviour.  The  absolute  necessity  of  regeneration  was  the  all- 
absorbing  question  of  his  life,  and  God  honored  his  faith  and 
consecration  in  permitting  him  to  be  a  master  workman  in 
things  divine.  The  influence  of  his  life  and  words  upon  the 
student  body  of  California's  two  great  universities,  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  and  Stanford,  will  continue  as  long  as 
there  are  men  to  be  won  for  Christ.  In  his  death  I  feel 
keenly  my  personal  loss,  as  he  was  much  to  me,  and  the  in- 
spiration of  his  life  and  work  was  an  incentive  to  effort  for 
larger  things  in  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ 
among  young  men. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  Rose's  study 
carried  on  voluntarily  after  his  graduation,  which 
was  rewarded  by  action  of  the  faculty  of  Beloit  Col- 
lege in  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of  M.  A.  His 
mother  wrote,  at  about  commencement  time  : 

I  referred  in  one  letter  to  the  thesis  Horace  wrote  and  sub- 
mitted for  examination.     Last  evening  his  diploma  reached 
me  with  a  letter  from  Professor  Chapin,  saying  :  "  The  thesis 
represents  good,  faithful  work  on  the  part  of  Horace  which  it 
130 


©tbet  TTributes 

was  fitting  to  recognize,  and  which  would  have  been  recog- 
nized in  the  same  way  if  he  had  lived."  The  conferring  of 
the  degree  gives  me  satisfaction  because  I  know  his  faithful 
work  was  worthy  of  it,  and  yet  it  is  a  tame  sort  of  pleasure 
with  what  it  was  to  have  been.  His  wife,  who  was  so  eager 
to  help  him  in  his  work,  was  looking  forward  with  great  an- 
ticipation for  this  result,  and  we  were  to  rejoice  together  at 
this  token  of  appreciation  of  Horace's  literary  effort.  The 
thesis  was  along  sociological  lines,  its  subject  being  "  Friendly 
Visiting  " 

Professor  Robert  C.  Chapin  writes  in  the  same 
connection : 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  before  he  died,  he  came  to 
me  for  an  examination  on  some  graduate  work  that  he  had 
been  doing.  I  was  greatly  interested  to  see  the  signs  of  his 
development.  He  had  been  studying  the  broader  social 
mission  of  Christianity,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  com- 
bined an  intelligent  appreciation  of  this  aspect  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  with  a  belief  in  the  necessity  for  such  hand-to- 
hand  personal  work  as  he  was  so  successful  in  doing,  was 
very  suggestive.  Some  men  have  no  thought  of  anything  but 
the  immediate  grappling  with  individuals;  others  are  im- 
patient of  anything  short  of  wholesale  social  change.  Rose, 
while  devoted  heart  and  soul  to  the  work  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, showed  also  the  most  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the 
advances  of  the  Kingdom  in  the  forms  of  law  and  industrial 
organization. 

Charles  E.  Tompkins,  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  was  General  Secretary  of  the 
University  Association  at  Ann  Arbor  two  years 
after  Rose  left  the  position.  In  a  letter  addressed 
to  Rose's  wife  shortly  after  his  death  he  says : 
131 


1Fn  ZlDemoriam 

I  hardly  know  what  to  say,  butl  do  want  you  to  know  that 
my  heart  is  full  of  sympathy,  because  it  has  been  saddened  so. 
For  I  loved  Holly.  No  man  ever  won  a  place  so  high  in  my 
heart  as  Horace.  I  looked  up  to  him,  and  he  helped  me. 
All  that  I  have  done  as  General  Secretary  of  our  Association 
was  based  on  what  Horace  had  done  previously. 

And  I  must  confess,  that  when  word  came  that  he  had 
gone  on  home,  a  fierce,  wicked  spirit  possessed  me  ;  but  the 
Master  has  led  me  to  see  that  Horace  had  increased  the 
talents  God  had  given  him  more  than  the  hundred-fold,  and 
that  he  must  needs  be  made  "  ruler  over  many  things  "  in  the 
Kingdom  of  our  God. 

The  State  Secretary  of  Michigan  during  the  years 
of  Rose's  service  in  the  Middle  West  was  C.  M. 
Copeland.     He  writes : 

That  which  impressed  me  most  in  Rose's  life  was  his  man- 
liness, his  even  temper  under  all  circumstances,  and  the  un- 
affected naturalness  of  the  man.  .  .  .  Religion  with  him 
was  not  a  matter  of  moods,  or  forms  of  speech,  or  change  of 
expression.  It  was  a  thing  of  every-day  life,  and  entered 
into  all  that  he  did.  I  spent  a  Sunday  with  him  in  one 
of  the  larger  educational  institutions  in  Michigan,  in  which 
many  of  the  students  live  in  residences.  In  the  morning  we 
were  occupied  with  other  matters,  but  after  dinner  I  noticed 
him  moving  from  room  to  room,  and  wondered  what  he  was 
doing.  He  did  not  say,  but  I  have  no  manner  of  question 
now,  that  he  was  interviewing  individual  students  with  a  view 
of  bringing  them  into,  or  developing  them  in,  the  Christian 
life,  helping  them  to  overcome  some  easily  besetting  sin,  or 
see  more  clearly  the  path  of  duty. 

As  a  student  secretary  Rose  had  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement,  its  declar- 
132 


©tber  tributes 

ation  and  its  watchword,  "  The  Evangelization  of  the 
World  in  This  Generation."  The  attention  that  he 
gave  to  personal  interviews  with  men  who  were  quali- 
fied to  become  foreign  missionaries  proved  that  he 
believed  thoroughly  in  the  fundamental  principles  of 
this  movement.  Rev.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  the  Educa- 
tional Secretary,  has  written  this  testimonial : 

Among  the  delightful  memories  of  the  past  are  the  occa- 
sional visits  made  by  Mr.  Rose  to  the  office  of  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement  in  New  York.  If  one  had  seen  him 
only  on  such  occasions  the  dominant  impression  gained  would 
be  that  of  a  man  whose  Christianity  was  of  the  radiant  type 
and  whose  life  was  made  sunny  from  centre  to  circumference 
because  of  his  abiding  faith.  I  recall  especially  the  one  or  two 
occasions  when  he  led  the  devotional  service  at  noon.  The 
passages  of  Scripture  were  brief  and  virile,  while  his  prayers 
were  as  if  one  were  talking  with  God,  and  they  never  failed  to 
uplift  those  who  were  privileged  to  join  in  them. 

At  the  various  summer  schools,  which  it  has  been  my  privi- 
lege to  attend  with  Mr.  Rose,  there  has  been  no  one  man  who 
made  the  same  impression  that  his  work  brought  to  the  students 
gathered  there,  so  far  as  I  could  judge  of  his  influence.  He 
was  marvellously  winsome  in  his  way  of  approaching  a  new 
man,  and  it  was  rarely  the  case  that  he  knew  one  intimately 
that  he  did  not  show  something  akin  to  genuine  affection  for 
him.  At  Geneva  and  elsewhere  I  have  seen  him,  not  button- 
hole his  man,  but  draw  him  aside  and  with  hand  upon  his 
shoulder  walk  off  into  the  woods  for  one  of  those  delightful 
talks  which  many  a  seeker  after  truth  and  life  will  always 
remember.  As  compared  with  other  workers,  he  seemed  to 
possess  a  magnetism  which  attracted  and  held  men  close  to 
himself,  just  as  the  material  magnet  attracts  its  piece  of  metal. 
The  general  work  at  these  summer  schools  was  aided  by  his 

*33 


Hn  /IDemoriam 

great  genuineness  and  a  corresponding  earnestness  of  expres- 
sion when  he  spoke  or  otherwise  participated  in  the  exercises. 

Only  once  has  it  been  my  privilege  to  watch  Rose  in  his 
college  work,  and  that  was  at  Cornell  a  month  or  two  before 
his  passing.  Private  conversation  with  him  showed  how 
heavily  he  was  burdened,  not  only  by  certain  conditions  in 
the  Association,  but  because  of  family  complications.  One 
would  have  expected  a  person  who  was  thus  handicapped  to 
be  abstracted  from  his  main  work.  Instead,  he  seemed  to 
throw  himself  into  it  with  the  greater  earnestness,  as  if  a  pre- 
monition of  the  shortness  of  his  day  were  even  then  upon  him. 
I  well  recall  how  he  had  won  in  the  brief  period  of  his  service 
at  Cornell  a  number  of  men,  some  of  them  critical  cases.  It 
was  remarkable  to  notice  how  much  he  was  accomplishing 
hour  by  hour.  No  moment  of  his  day  seemed  to  be  without 
its  duty  ;  and  while  he  had  many  general  interests  to  care  for, 
even  under  those  circumstances  the  congenial  task  seemed  to 
be  that  of  getting  a  personal  hold  upon  the  students  man  by 
man. 

If  I  were  to  put  in  a  word  the  impression  made  by  his  life, 
it  would  be  as  follows  :  Rose  was  differentiated  from  the 
great  mass  of  Christian  workers  by  his  fundamental  faith  in 
God,  which  constituted  the  rock  foundation  of  his  life  and 
activities.  With  this  as  a  basis  he  went  out  into  life,  eager  to 
buy  up  every  opportunity,  and  anxious  not  merely  to  use  time 
well,  but  to  regard  each  day  and  hour  as  a  talent  for  invest- 
ment. He  realized  that  before  men  could  be  won  they  must 
be  attracted,  and  that  no  power  was  more  likely  to  win  students 
than  the  genuineness  of  a  deep  spiritual  life  combined  with 
the  cheer  of  a  strong  and  healthy  manhood.  Having  attracted 
them  to  himself  he  did  not  lose  any  chances,  but  laid  siege  to 
men,  not  the  mass,  but  one  by  one,  adapting  his  mode  of 
approach  to  the  character  of  the  individual  to  be  won.  A 
single  attempt  never  sufficed  unless  it  were  successful,  for  Rose 
had  the  wisdom  to  cling  to  a  man  like  Jacob  of  old  until  he 
134 


©tber  ^Tributes 

had  taken  him  captive.  Such  results  as  crowned  his  brief  life 
would  not  have  been  possible  had  he  not  been  at  once  physi- 
cally strong,  intellectually  attractive,  and  powerful  spiritually. 

During  the  summer  of  1900,  several  students 
from  foreign  lands  were  visiting  the  Student  Asso- 
ciations of  the  United  States.  Among  them  were 
three  Europeans  from  Sweden,  Holland,  and  Den- 
mark. They  met  Rose  frequently  during  their  visit 
in  this  country.  As  soon  as  news  of  his  death 
reached  them,  an  article  was  printed  in  Excelsior, 
the  organ  of  the  Scandinavian  Student  Movement, 
in  the  issue  of  March,  190 1,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  translation  made  by  Mr.  Hans  P.  Andersen  : 

Horace  Rose,  one  of  the  most  promising  and  active  stu- 
dent workers  of  North  America,  was  called  home  by  the  Lord 
after  a  few  days'  sickness.  He  was  a  "  jolly  fellow,"  a  type 
of  the  best  Western  American  students,  warm-hearted,  fresh 
and  jovial,  but  wholesome  and  Christian.  It  was  observed 
one  day  when  Mott  unexpectedly  requested  him  and  two 
others  to  lead  the  meeting  in  prayer.  The  deep,  clear  way 
in  which  he  spoke  to  God,  and  with  perfect  simplicity  peti- 
tioned for  definite  things,  showed  clearly  that  he  was  a  man 
who  lived  in  the  place  of  secret  prayer.  He  showed  us 
Europeans,  Bjork  from  Sweden,  Brandt  from  Holland,  and 
Ricard  from  Denmark,  great  kindness.  After  the  Student 
Conference  at  Northfield  of  1899,  he  became  travelling 
secretary  among  the  universities  of  the  West,  and  was  here 
the  means  of  leading  several  hundreds  of  his  younger  com- 
panions to  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  for  the  students  of  the 
West  what  Hugh  Beaver  had  been  for  those  of  the  East. 

It  is  strange  to  think  how  quickly  the  Lord  can  complete 
the  work  of  his  young  servants.     At  the  age  of  only  twenty- 

135 


Un  iKbemoriam 

seven  Rose  went  forth,  and  what  a  fine  work  does  he  not 
leave  behind  him  ?     What  have  we  accomplished  ? 

In  an  age  when  many  Christian  leaders  shrink  from 
evangelistic  methods,  the  Student  Christian  Move- 
ment has  constantly  emphasized  the  importance  of 
special  religious  awakenings  as  a  means  of  arrest- 
ing the  attention  of  men,  and  fastening  it  upon  the 
claims  of  Christ.  Had  Rose  lived  he  would  have 
been  in  constant  demand  for  special  meetings  of 
evangelistic  character  in  the  colleges  and  universities 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Mr.  Fred  B. 
Smith,  a  secretary  of  the  International  Committee, 
devoting  much  of  his  time  to  evangelistic  work  among 
the  city  associations,  speaks  in  most  appreciative 
terms  of  Rose,  and  his  love  for  meetings  which  led 
men  to  Christian  decision : 

Horace  Rose's  memory  abides  with  me  in  increasing 
power.  The  lapse  of  years  only  makes  more  real  his  influ- 
ence. I  owe  much  to  him.  The  chiefest  thing  to  me  of  all 
his  splendid  life  was  the  manifest  genuineness  of  his  passion 
for  winning  men  to  the  Christian  life.  I  never  discovered  for 
one  moment  anything  that  could  have  been  interpreted  as  an 
ulterior  motive  for  his  service.  It  was  with  him  any  way,  by 
any  voice,  by  any  method  to  win  men. 

One  incident  lives  with  me  as  an  index  to  the  real  Rose. 
At  a  State  Convention  of  the  Associations  where  we  were 
participating,  a  misunderstanding  with  the  local  committee 
seemed  to  have  barred  the  way  for  an  evangelistic  service  on 
Sunday.  He  did  not  arrive  until  Saturday  morning,  but 
when  he  heard  of  the  condition,  although  he  was  not  publicly 
136 


©tbet  tributes 

to  participate  in  the  meeting  at  all,  and  it  was  not  at  a  place 
with  a  Student  Association,  he  went  zealously  at  work  to  ad- 
just the  difficulty,  and  kept  it  up  till  eleven  o'clock  Saturday 
night.  We  won  the  day  and  a  goodly  number  of  men.  I 
well  remember  when  he  came  to  my  room  to  learn  why  the 
meeting  was  not  to  be  held,  and  I  tried  to  persuade  him  not 
to  attempt  to  press  the  question.  He  paced  the  floor  and 
said,  "  Smith,  God  will  hold  us  to  account  for  this  failure. 
That  meeting  must  be  held."     And  it  was. 

Several  times  during  his  life,  I  said  to  friends  that  I  would 
rather  have  him  in  the  audience  in  an  evangelistic  meeting 
than  any  other  man  I  had  ever  known  ;  and  there  is  no 
man  living  now,  of  whom  I  know,  that  could  fill  his  place 
in  such  a  gathering.  A  look  from  his  eye  at  such  a  time  was 
like  a  wireless  message  of  "  victory."  In  common  with  hun- 
dreds, I  have  a  sense  of  deep  gratitude  for  his  incessant,  sin- 
cere devotion  to  the  cause  of  God. 

The  following  was  written  by  Bishop  William 
F.  McDowell,  a  frequent  speaker  at  the  Lake 
Geneva  Student  Conferences,  and  a  wise  counsellor 
of  student  association  leaders  : 

I  was  with  Rose  at  one  Student  Conference  at  Lake  Ge- 
neva, and  was  profoundly  impressed  with  his  influence  over 
men.  He  appeared  to  live  the  life  of  the  spirit  so  naturally 
that  many  of  the  men  got  a  new  understanding  of  what  such 
a  life  actually  meant.  His  life  seemed  to  be  all  of  one  piece. 
The  presence  of  Christ  in  it  was  constantly  manifest. 

Several  years  after  this  Lake  Geneva  experience  I  spent  a 
week  in  Cornell  University  as  Sage  Chapel  preacher.  It  was 
just  after  Rose's  death.  All  through  that  great  institution 
his  name  was  as  an  ointment  poured  forth.  He  left  upon  the 
studei  ts  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  there  an  impression 
which  I  think  will  never  be  effaced.     It  was  said  to  me  freely 

137 


•ffn  flDemoriam 

that  many  of  the  Cornell  men  had  privately  and  publicly  testi- 
fied that  they  found  their  old  lives  impossible  in  Rose's  pres- 
ence, and  were  drawn  to  a  new  life  by  the  beauty  and  holiness 
of  his  life.  I  was  struck  with  the  fact  that  his  influence  in 
Cornell  was  both  direct  and  indirect.  He  tried  continually 
to  lead  men  to  Christ,  and  did  it.  But  many  men  were  also 
led  to  Christ  just  by  reason  of  his  presence  there.  Interested 
he  was  in  everything  that  pertained  to  the  life  of  the  men, 
but  always  interested  in  that  high  and  splendid  way  that 
made  him  such  a  force  for  righteousness.  I  count  it  one  of 
the  joys  of  my  life  to  have  known  him. 

Mr.  Walter  M.  Parsons,  formerly  a  secretary  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  now  connected  as  a  secretary 
with  the  International  Committee,  pays  his  tribute 
in  the  following  language  : 

I  have  known  many  men  whose  acquaintance  I  enjoyed 
and  whose  comradeship  I  highly  prized,  but  of  all  whom  I 
have  met,  not  one  did  I  ever  like  more  than  Horace  Rose. 
I  shall  never  forget  our  first  meeting.  He  rushed  into  my 
office  in  San  Francisco,  and  in  his  big-hearted  way  exclaimed, 
"  Hello,  Parsons,  I  am  mighty  glad  to  meet  you  !  I  need  your 
help."  His  face  beamed  like  the  morning,  and  I'll  confess 
that  he  captured  me  in  five  minutes.  After  chatting  for  a 
time  about  mutual  friends,  and  going  over  plans  for  the 
Pacific  Coast  Student  Conference,  to  direct  which  he  had 
come  West,  he  remarked,  "  Parsons,  I  have  a  hard  task 
ahead.  Mich  (Mr.  C.  C.  Michener)  has  a  great  hold  on  the 
college  men  here,  and  I  wish  to  see  the  splendid  standard  set 
up  here  maintained.  Let's  have  a  word  of  prayer  together. 
We  can't  make  this  go  without  His  help." 

For  three  weeks  following  we  were  closely  associated.  At 
the  Student  Conference  he  soon  won  the  hearts  of  the  men  ; 
and  while  Michener  had  been  peculiarly  honored,  all  agreed 

138 


©tber  tributes 

that  in  Rose  a  worthy  successor  had  been  found.  His  ad- 
dresses, full  of  searching  questions,  cut  to  the  inner  life  of 
men.  His  implicit  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  helper  of  men 
in  "  putting  up  a  winning  fight  against  sin  in  their  lives  "  in- 
spired confidence  in  faltering  men,  and  lukewarm  students 
soon  felt  the  contagion  of  his  faith  and  enthusiasm.  "  Put- 
ting up  a  winning  fight  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  n  was  a 
common  expression,  and  he  led  many  a  student  to  demon- 
strate the  reality  of  it  in  his  own  life. 

Each  day  after  lunch  he  called  together  the  "  faculty,"  as 
he  jokingly  termed  the  group  of  leaders,  and  I  am  sure  those 
present  will  never  forget  his  eager  "  Now,  men,  what  can  we 
do  to  make  the  next  session  count  ? "  or,  "  Will  you  see 
Mr.  A.  of  the  Stanford  delegation  and  brace  him  up  on  that 
point  ? "  etc.,  etc.  After  discussion  and  special  prayer  for  the 
success  of  plans  agreed  upon  by  all,  he  would  go  to  his  room, 
don  an  old  suit,  and  join  the  boys  for  the  afternoon  sports, 
the  most  frolicsome  boy  in  the  whole  bunch.  He  was  a  veri- 
table reservoir  of  fun  and  as  good  a  man  behind  the  bat  as 
he  was  in  leading  a  meeting.  His  enthusiasm  in  athletics 
helped  him  to  get  a  grip  on  some  men  otherwise  hard  to 
reach,  and  he  made  the  most  of  it  in  enlisting  those  men  in 
an  enthusiastic  service  for  the  Master. 

As  I  think  of  his  work  among  students  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  permanent  results  at  every  point  are  readily  recalled. 
New  life  and  activity  invariably  followed  his  visit  to  colleges 
or  universities.  His  talks  to  students  may  not  have  abounded 
in  "  rounded  periods,"  but  they  had  points.  He  generally 
struck  ten.  He  compelled  men  to  think,  and  led  them  to  act. 
He  would  not  counsel  a  man  "  to  go  home  and  think  it  over," 
but  rather  to  say,  *'  If  it  is  right  to  be  a  Christian,  if  it  is  right 
to  live  a  clean  life,  begin  it  now." 

Quickness  and  thoroughness  characterized  his  work,  and  his 
untiring  zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  personal  work  bore  fruitage 
in  changed  lives  wherever  he  went.  He  believed  in  conver- 
J39 


1Tn  /iDemoriam 

sion  definite,  clear-cut,  sudden  if  you  choose,  because  he  wit- 
nessed the  fact  in  scores  of  young  lives. 

During  his  last  trip  to  the  Coast  and  at  the  Student  Con- 
ference he  worked  under  a  burden  that  would  have  crushed 
most  men.  Yet  not  for  a  moment  did  any  one  see  in 
Rose  aught  but  the  man  of  courage  and  faith.  Standing 
on  the  promises  of  his  Lord  he  murmured  not.  His  life  at 
this  time  was  a  striking  testimony  to  the  reality  of  the  joy  of 
Christian  service  which  he  so  earnestly  advocated.  He  was 
forceful  and  resourceful,  aggressive  yet  tactful,  strong  and 
virile,  yet  tender  and  trustful  as  a  little  child. 

Rose's  own  estimate  of  himself  was  far  different 
from  that  of  his  friends  regarding  him.  It  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  following  little  schedule  which  he 
had  copied  in  his  note-book,  and  which  he  examined 
frequently  before  entering  a  religious  meeting  : 

CHRISTIAN  ZEAL,  100% 

For  the  organization  I  am  representing  .  .  20% 
For  the  reputation  of  other  men  .  .  .  .  15% 
For  the  personal  satisfaction  of  doing  as  well 

as  I  did  before 25% 

For  the  glory  of  God 4°% 

When  will  the  glory  of  God  he  my  only  amhition  ? 

He  was  constantly  challenging  his  motives,  not 
only  as  he  entered  meetings,  but  hour  by  hour 
throughout  all  the  days.  Such  a  spiritual  exercise 
naturally  resulted  in  a  growing  consecration  of 
himself  to  the  service  of  other  people. 

In  Dr.  James  Stalker's  "  Imago  Christi "  there  is 
a  striking  characterization  of  Jesus'  influence  over 
140 


©tber  Tributes 

men,  which  applies  in  large  measure  to  Rose. 
"  The  passing  of  Jesus  through  the  country  was 
like  the  passing  of  a  magnet  over  a  floor  where 
there  are  pieces  of  iron :  it  drew  the  souls  which 
had  affinity  for  the  divine  life  to  itself.  And  in 
all  Christian  communities  there  are  some  who,  in 
greater  or  less  degree,  discharge  the  same  function. 
They  are  known  to  possess  the  secret  of  life ;  those 
passing  through  the  deepest  experiences  of  the  soul 
are  confident  that  they  will  understand  them  ;  bur- 
dened consciences  seek  their  sympathy.  Surely  this 
is  the  most  precious  privilege  of  the  soul-winner : 
he  is  never  so  effectively  seeking  the  lost  as  when 
the  lost  seek  him."  In  view  of  this  qualification  for 
helping  men,  and  his  estimate  of  the  value  of  time, 
no  more  fitting  way  can  be  found  to  close  this 
memorial  than  to  quote  the  following,  written  by 
Rose  at  the  close  of  a  busy  day  while  in  college : 

Meditation  and  Prayer 

"  The  day  has  gone.  In  the  quiet  of  the  evening 
hour  sit  a  moment  with  thy  better  self  and  think. 
I  began  the  day  early  with  Him.  Since  then  have 
passed  fifteen  golden  hours.  Each  minute  has  been 
fraught  with  privilege  and  responsibility.  Oh,  what 
a  day  of  privilege  !  But  now  I  pause  as  the  night 
comes  on,  and  ask  if  what  Moses  and  Aaron  could 
say  is  true  of  this  day  just  passing  out  of  my  grasp, 
'  The  God  of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  us.'  In  the 
141 


Un  /iDemoriam 

busy  ways,  in  the  studies,  in  the  laboratory,  on  the 
campus,  in  the  closet,  is  it  true  ?  Has  the  God  of 
the  Hebrews  met  me  ? 

u  Thou  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  I  sub- 
mit to  Thee  this  day,  its  successes  and  failures. 
Use  both  to  Thy  glory.  Give  me  forgiveness  in 
Jesus  Christ ;  and  while  I  sleep  to-night,  O  1  may 
my  heart  be  on  the  watch  for  new  revelations  of 
Thee,  and  when  the  morning  dawns  and  the  night 
winds  and  dews  are  gone,  O  !  God  of  the  Hebrews, 
meet  me  and  keep  me  near  Thee  throughout  each 
hour.  May  this  present  minute  be  a  Bethel  for  my 
soul  —  the  place  where  I  meet  the  God  of  the 
Hebrews ! " 


142 


Hppenfcix 

In  view  of  the  prominent  place  given  by  Horace 
W.  Rose  to  personal  work  as  the  most  successful 
method  of  leading  men  to  belief  in  Christ,  his  notes 
on  the  subject  may  be  helpful  to  those  who  have 
read  this  memorial.  What  follows  here  served  as 
the  basis  for  the  discussion  led  by  him  at  the  Pacific 
Grove  Student  Conference  (California)  during  the 
spring  of  1899. 

Personal  Work. 

I.  What  is  it?  Individual  effort  to  touch  another  life  (for 
Christ's  sake),  that  it  may  be  helped  into  conformity  to 
the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ. 

1.  Scripture  examples. 

John  iii.    Nicodemus  and  Christ. 

John  iv.  5-29.     Christ  and  the  woman. 

Acts  viii.  27-39.     Philip  and  the  eunuch. 

John  i.  40-42.     Andrew  and  Peter. 

John  i.  43-46.     Philip  and  Nathaniel. 

Read  James  i.  27.     Pure  religion  and  undefiled. 

2.  Three  propositions. 

(1)  It  is  not  hard.  The  difficulty  is,  we  are  not 
prepared.  It's  natural  to  approach  men  in 
conversation. 

(a)  Commercial  traveller  a  good  p.  w. 

(b)  Personal  work  to  get  men  for  lodges. 

(c)  Personal  work  in  politics. 

(d)  The  "  personal  element  "  is  the  fundamental 

argument  in  favor  of  smaller  colleges. 

143 


HppenMx 

(2)  Every  man  is  under  obligation  to  do  p.  w. 

(a)  It   is    enjoined   in  the   scriptures,   ex- 

ample and  teaching. 

(b)  Characteristic  of   new  birth.      Reach 

out  after  others. 

(c)  My    brother's    condition    rightly    de- 

mands it. 

(3)  It's  the  greatest  privilege  in  life.     (Angels  be 

glad  of  that  chance.) 

(a)  It  made  up  a  large  part  of  Christ's  life. 

(b)  James  v.  20.     Let  Him  know  that  he, 

etc. 

(c)  Dan'l  xii.  3.     They  that  be  wise  shall 

shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, etc. 

II.  The  need. 

1.    Other  agencies  insufficient  unless  supplemented  by 
this. 
(How  many  members  won  by  p.  w.  ?) 
2    Notwithstanding   importance  few  accept    responsi- 
bility. 
A  cry  for  workers  in  churches  and  everywhere ! 

3.  Men  around  us  are  hungry  and  thirsty  for  light  and 

help. 

4.  They  fight  shy  of  organized  movements. 

5.  Men  love  this  method. 

6.  The    Holy  Spirit   convicts   in   different   ways  and 

places. 
Various  opportunities. 

III.  Qualifications  of  worker. 

1.  A  man  of  character.     High  standard  —  no  cribbing 

—  no  dishonesty,  gambling,  or  vulgarity  —  coarse- 
ness, cigarettes.     Have  men  believe  in  you. 

2.  A  longing  to  help  men. 

144 


HppenMx 

3.  Personality  —  shrewdness  —  capacity  —  address. 

4.  Anchored  in   belief.      Born   again.      "  Morality  is 

human  nature  dressed  up."  God  doesn't  teach 
that.     He  teaches  the  new  man. 

5.  Knowledge  of  Bible. 

6.  A  man  of  prayer. 

7.  Patient  and  persistent. 

IV.  The  class. 

1.  Object,  to  enable  Christians  by  the  use  of  special 

Bible  studies  and  by  actual  participation  in  per- 
sonal work  to  lead  others,  one  by  one,  to  Christ. 

2.  Members,  qualified  men  who  long  to  lead  others  to 

Christ,  and  are  willing  to  give  time  and  energy. 
Avoid  enlisting  men  who  have  not  the  confi- 
dence of  the  class.     6-1  o  men  who  will 

(a)  Engage  in  definite  personal  work. 

(b)  Give  20  minutes  a  day  in  preparation. 

(c)  Attend  class  regularly  and  promptly. 

3.  Leader,  man  of  God  with  heart  aflame,  an  aggres- 

sive worker,  soul-winner  if  possible,  who  will 
count  this  his  large  work.  Send  leader  to 
Conference. 

4.  Use  of  class  hour. 

(1)  Heart-searching  questions. 

(2)  Development  of  Bible  topic. 

(3)  Discussion  of  recent  experience  in  work. 

(4)  Report  of  work  done. 

(5)  Use  of  key  passages  assigned  by  leader. 

(6)  Much  prayer. 

5.  Helpful  outlines. 

(1)  Dr.  Johnson's  book. 

(2)  S.  M.  Sayford's  book. 

(3)  Personal  work  —  how  organized  and  accom- 

plished. 

145 


HppenMx 

(4)  Christ  among  men. 

(5)  Dyson  Hague's  "  Ways  to  Win." 

(6)  Torrey's  "  How  to  Bring  Men  to  Christ." 
Read  Life  of  Hugh  Beaver — Memorial  of  a  True 

Life. 

V.  Suggested  kinds  of  personal  work. 

1.  Restraining  men  from  indulgence. 

2.  Visiting  men  with  idea  of  helping  and  cheering  and 

comforting  them. 

3.  Leading  men  to  take  up  means  of  growth. 

4.  Leading  men  to  give  up  definite  sins. 

5.  Leading  men  to  accept  Christ  and  publicly  confess 

Him. 

VI.  Suggestions. 

1.  Keep  very  humble. 

2.  Pray  for  and  use  opportunities. 

3.  Don't  argue  or  debate  in  class  or  out. 

4.  Love  men  and  make  them  love  you. 

5.  Get  parts  of  Bible  well  in  hand. 

6.  Meet  men  alone. 

7.  Meet  objections  lovingly,  present  real  Gospel. 

8.  Study  specific  sins. 

9.  Be  constant  in  prayer  —  rely  upon  the  Holy  Spirit. 
1  o.  Be  willing  to  make  mistakes  for  Christ's  sake. 

1 1.   Be  tactful  —  study  the   man  and   your  ability  to 
help. 


146 


